Desserts from Argentina: Alfajores

What is it?

Alfajor is a word coming from the Arab word “al-hasú” that means: filled in. Actually, an Alfajor is formed by two cornstarch cookies, with a filling inside, usually dulce de leche. It reached us through the Spanish, as it was a present left by the Arabs while living in the Southern provinces of Spain. From there it came to America, and in America, the Argentineans are devoted to it and also prepare the best ones we know.
You can find Alfajores in almost every eating place, and every housewife has her special recipe. In every house they are always welcomed and enjoyed at all times.

A Recipe

Ingredients:

3 Egg yolks
4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons of cornstarch
5 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation:

Beat well the egg yolks, add the sugar and continue beating well.
Then add the vanilla and the rest of the ingredients. Make a dough that can be knead, if necessary add a few drops of water. Stretch it to half an inch of thickness and then cut it with a circle cutter or with a small glass, trying to make cuts of about two inches diameter. Put these cookies in a greased cooking sheet, and take them to moderate oven for some 20 minutes. They must be cooked at the bottom, but the upper side must remain almost white. Put dulce de leche in the middle of two of them and in the borders, afterwards pass the borders through grated coconut. They are to be eaten next day, that’s when they are just perfect.
You get 12 medium size or 24 small ones.