Alfajores

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ taza de harina de trigo
• 1 ¼ taza de maicena
• ½ taza de mantequilla
• 1 cucharadita de polvo de hornear
• 2 yemas de huevo
• 1 cucharada de ralladura de limón
• 3 cucharadas de leche
• 1 cucharadita de vainilla
• ½ taza de azúcar impalpable.
• ¾ de taza de dulce de leche para el relleno.
• ½ taza de coco rallado

Directions

1. Sift the all-purpose flour, cornstarch and baking powder together; if a sifter is not handy, a large strainer does the job. Stir everything thoroughly, add the lemon zest, and mix again so it is evenly scattered through the dry ingredients.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar, milk and egg yolks for at least five minutes, until the mixture turns creamy and the sugar no longer feels lumpy. If you are starting with regular sugar instead of powdered sugar, run it in a blender on high speed until it becomes powdery; that finer sugar helps give the cookies a softer texture and smoother tops.
3. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture gradually, kneading with some enthusiasm as you go. The finished dough should not stick to anything; if it still feels tacky, add an extra handful of flour. Shape it into a ball, set it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for one hour.
4. Heat the oven to 200 °C. Clear a flat work surface and make sure it is clean and dry, then dust it with half a handful of all-purpose flour so the cut cookies will lift off easily.
5. Take the dough from the refrigerator and, without kneading it again, roll it out until it is no thicker than five millimeters. Cut as many rounds as you can with a circular cookie cutter.
6. Arrange the little cookies on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or a silicone mat, leaving at least two centimeters of space between them so they do not bake into each other. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden, then take them out of the oven and let them cool.
7. Pick up a cookie and spread one teaspoon of dulce de leche over its flat underside, the side that touched the baking sheet. Bring the filling all the way to the edges, then sandwich it with another cookie.
8. Pour the shredded coconut onto a flat plate and roll each filled cookie through it until the coconut sticks to the dulce de leche around the sides, giving the alfajores their classic look. You can keep the alfajores refrigerated for one week.