These irresistible Argentinian Alfajores are a soft, sweet and crumbly shortbread sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche. They are so soft they melt in your mouth!

A stack of Alfajores cookies on a blue background.

***This post was originally published on Dec 2015. It has been updated to be more helpful.

Alfajores

These Alfajores are literally one of my favorite cookies ever! They are light, buttery with a subtle lemon flavor, and are filled with a sweet and creamy dulce de leche, giving you a mouthful of delicious goodness! 

These soft cookies are very popular across Latin America but specially Argentina.

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Easy to make
  • Incredibly soft and chewy
  • Full of sweet and delicious Dulce De Leche
  • They melt in your mouth!

They are wonderful served alongside a nice cup of tea or coffee, as a nice mid afternoon treat! They are also a great addition to any picnic hamper, and they make wonderful, simple homemade gifts.

Alfajores cookies placed on a white cutting board placed on a pink board.

Featured comment:

“My spanish teacher is from Argentina. She said these taste just like the ones her grandmother would make for her. They brought tears to her eyes. Thank you for the perfect cookie”

Dixie

Ingredients

Start by getting your ingredients together:

  • The flour – For this recipe we’ll use a combination of all-purpose flour & cornstarch. Using cornstarch (Maizena in Spanish) is the key to make these melt in your mouth cookies. The results are amazing!
  • Leavening agent – Baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt
  • White sugar and 1 stick of unsalted butter
  • 2 large egg yolks & vanilla extract
  • The zest of two lemons – don’t skip this! It ads the perfect balance to these cookies.
  • The filling – Dulce de leche. Store bought or homemade (see how to make homemade dulce de leche).
  • Coconut flakes

***Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and written recipe.

The ingredients for this recipe placed on a pink background.
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How to Make Alfajores Cookies

Steps to make the cookie dough:

Sifting flour thru a mesh colander over a mixing bowl.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Set aside.

Sifting is the process that breaks up any lumps in the flour 

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 
  • Add yolks and beat to combine.  Then add the vanilla extract, water and lemon zest beat until just combined. 

Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.

Wrap the dough in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Why is important to chill the dough prior to baking, King Arthur baking website explains it the best:

Chilling cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. And the longer the fat remains solid, the less cookies spread. In addition, the sugar in the dough gradually absorbs liquid.

Bake the cookies

  • Heat oven 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone pad. 
  • Remove dough from plastic wrap and place on a lightly floured surface, flour a rolling pin and roll out to about ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough with a 2 inch cookie cutter.
  • Place the cookies on the prepared sheet pans, then bake until firm and edges are pale golden and the middle of the cookie is firm, about 9 minutes. Transfer baking pan to a rack and allow to cool completely before removing from baking sheet. 
Cutting cookie dough with a cookie cutter.
  • Spread 1 tablespoon of dulce de leche onto the back of half the cookies. Place a second cookie on top and gently press to create a sandwich and repeat.
  • Roll sides in coconut and dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.
Alfajores on a blue background with a knife spreading dulce de leche inside the cookies.

Make ahead

  • Make cookie dough, wrap very tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
  • Freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months. Wrap in plastic wrap and and place inside a plastic freezer bag. Label the bag with the month and the baking temperature and place the bag in the freezer. 

Storage Icon Graphic.

How to Store the cookies

Make sure cookies cool completely before storing.

  • Store them at room temperature in an airtight container, like Tupperware for up to a week. Note: To keep them soft, add a little small piece of white sandwich bread inside the airtight container. This trick will keep your cookies soft since the moisture in the bread will help the cookies stay soft.
  • Freezer – Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container or freezer bags for up to 3 months.
A stack of Alfajores cookies on a blue background.

Recipe adapted from Cocineros Argentinos

I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact  me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana

Print Recipe:

A stack of Alfajores cookies on a blue background.

Alfajores – Argentinian Dulce De Leche Cookies

Servings 24 sandwich cookies
Ana Frias
4.98 from 77 votes
Prep Time 26 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
These yummy Alfajores cookies are delicious with a light sweet and citrus flavor. Filled with Dulce De Leche they are irresistible!
24 sandwich cookies

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest divided.
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 cup coconut flakes
  • 8 ounces Dulce De Leche homemade or store bought

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Set aside
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 
  • Add yolks and beat to combine.  
  • Add the vanilla extract, water and lemon zest beat until just combined. 
  • Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.
  • Wrap the dough in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
  • Heat oven 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 
  • Remove dough from plastic wrap and place on a lightly floured surface, flour a rolling pin and roll out to about ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough with a 2 inch cookie cutter.
  • Place cookies on prepared sheet pans about about 1 inch apart.
  • Bake for about 9 minutes or until firm and edges are pale golden and the middle of the cookie is firm.
  • Transfer baking pan to a rack and allow to cool completely before removing from baking sheet. 
  • Spread 1 tablespoon of dulce de leche onto the back of half the cookies. Place a second cookie on top and gently press to create a sandwich and repeat.
  • Roll sides in coconut and dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.

Muy Delish Notes:

Make ahead:
  • Make cookie dough, wrap very tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
  • Freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months. Wrap in plastic wrap and and place inside a freezer plastic bag. Label the bag with the month and the baking temperature and place the bag in the freezer. 

Add Your Own Private Notes

Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich cookie | Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3IU

The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.

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Recipe Rating




55 Comments

  1. Hi,
    These cookies were so great! Even the cookies plain were amazing, and when you put dulce de leche in it it was amazing! Really loved that coconut garnish around it as well! This is going to be one of my favorite cookie recipes!

  2. 5 stars
    I love these! I think they are lovely as is but could easily be as good with any citrus for variation. They are beautiful and get better with age. These are a beautiful little treat. Thank you.

  3. Thank u for sharing your recipe.I made it twice & both times the dough was sticky. Could be due to the hot weather. I don’t know. First time I added more flour so it turned out dry & heavy with flour. Second time I sprinkled flour on the table before rolling… it was a good idea. Also the sugar did not dissolve in the butter. I have tiny grains of sugar on the baked biscuits? The biscuits were still tasty though not perfect . I’ll keep trying

  4. 5 stars
    My grand daughter went to Peru and had her first alfajores cookie. When she returned she asked if I would make them for her. Fortunately for me, I used this recipe and I have made these several times. These are really a great cookie and make a nice presentation. I am not sure why the ingredients call for 2 teaspoons lemon zest – “divided”. There is no reference in the instructions to use partial at any point so I went ahead and added the 2 teaspoons. Great tasting cookies with a light lemon flavor. Just wondering why “divided” is in the ingredients list.
    Also, after filling, I rolled the cookies in toasted coconut. Toasting the coconut brings out more of the coconut flavor.
    Great recipe – glad I found it!

    1. I’m asking this for the next time I make these. I was wondering if it’s required to add lemon zest or if another citrus fruit could substitute.

      1. Hi Alex, the lemon flavor is delicious but I think it would be equally good with orange or even a mandarin or something similar that you can get enough zest. Let me know how they turn out and enjoy!

  5. ¡Hola Anna! Do have the measurements by weight? I’m going to make them as written, but I find weight vs. volume much more accurate. ¡Muchos gracias por una receta autentico!

  6. 5 stars
    Hi!! After I added the dry ingredients and mixed, the dough was real soft, not sticky but not firm. I wanted to see if I did something wrong.
    Thank you

    1. Hi Cari! Are you in hot weather? Did you make any changes to the recipe? It’s hard to tell as this has not happened to me yet even now that I’m in different altitude. How did they bake?

  7. 5 stars
    My spanish teacher is from Argentina. She said these taste just like the ones her grandmother would make for her. They brought tears to her eyes. Thank you for the perfect cookie

  8. Not able to print this recipe. Only opens another website for you. Would love to print it so I can bake it!

  9. The recipe mentioned 1 stick of butter, but the pictures showed a small stick. Can you tell me if is 1/2 cup butter (113 g).)I want to make sure I add the correct amount. Thank you!

    1. Hi Andrea, thanks for the question! This recipe uses: 1 stick butter = 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup = 4 ounces/110g.

      Let me know if you have any other questions. Enjoy! 🙂

  10. These remind me of a cookie that a local Cuban bakery sells. They are called Besitos. Rather than a dulce de leche sandwich cookie, they are little round dumpling like cookies with dulce de leche filling. So delicious! I will definitely try this recipe. Thank you!

  11. 5 stars
    I made these delicious treats and even shared some with family and friends. They were a big hit and everyone asked for more. These are my new fav ? treat❤️

  12. These are delicious but mine turned out a little dry. What do you think went wrong. I followed your recipe to the T. The only inconsistency was my oven. The temp was low so took longer to get back to 350 but besides that no issue. Would appreciate your feedback. Thank you.

    1. Hi Parshadi! Cooking them longer and lower will definitely make them drier! Have you used your oven for other cookies before? Could also be your elevation… let me research that one as I’m in the desert and sometimes different elevations have different effects. Although no one else has mentioned they came out dryish 🙁 Thanks for the feedback!

  13. 5 stars
    These were delicious! Thank you for the recipe!! They will definitely be a permanent addition to my annual Christmas cookie list.

  14. 5 stars
    Make sure your butter is very soft! Not melted, not warm, just perfectly soft. This will achieve the dough texture we need. Cream the soft butter and sugar for 5 minutes.

  15. Love alfajores and have never made them but DEF inspired to now! And your pics are absolutely stunning!!!

  16. I know what to gift for my next kiddie party! Thanks for this recipe. Those cookies look like perfection

  17. 5 stars
    Oh my, you are speaking my language with these little morsels of heaven! I never met a cookie I didn’t like, but shortbread are usually my go-to. I’m drooling over that dulce de leche inside. Yum!!

  18. 5 stars
    These are just the perfect little bites of deliciousness! I think I could eat quite a few of these, yum!

    1. 5 stars
      I’ve made a few alfajores before but this one is packed with flavor (I added the zest of an entire lemon), perfectly crumbly (I added 2 tsp more of warm water to make a dough) and so satisfying I have to hide half of them in the back of the fridge so we don’t devour them. Saving!!

  19. These look sooooo good! I love sandwich cookies and I just happen to have some leftover dulce de leche right now. I know what I’m making this weekend!

  20. 5 stars
    Oh HECK YES!! These cookies are the dreamiest. I love anything with dulce de leche! I can’t wait to make these and not share with anyone.

  21. 5 stars
    What darling looking cookies. Love the lemony taste — it’s so summery. The shortbread cookies remind me of macarons only easier to make. I’m definitely trying the sandwich cookie for our reading group.

  22. 5 stars
    This recipe has my name all over it! I love the addition of lemon zest….I think some people add Brandy too lol