Alfajores Uruguayos — Print Recipe

Delicate, crumbly cornstarch cookies sandwiched with a generous layer of dulce de leche and coated in meringue or rolled in shredded coconut, melting on the tongue.

Ingredients

200g cornstarch
100g flour
100g butter, softened
80g powdered sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
Zest of 1 lemon
400g dulce de leche
200g shredded coconut for coating

Instructions

1 Cream butter with powdered sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla, beat well.
2 Sift cornstarch, flour, and baking powder together. Fold into butter mixture with lemon zest.
3 Roll dough to 5mm thickness on a floured surface. Cut 5cm rounds.
4 Bake at 170C for 10-12 minutes — cookies should stay pale, not brown.
5 Cool completely. Spread generous dulce de leche on one cookie, sandwich with another.
6 Roll edges in shredded coconut. Let set for 30 minutes before serving.

Did You Know?

Uruguay has its own alfajor style — while Argentine alfajores are often chocolate-dipped, Uruguayan alfajores traditionally feature a meringue coating or coconut, giving them a lighter appearance.