Alfajores are super light, delicate little cookies typically served sandwiched with some dulce de leche. They are very popular in Latin and South America and have a fabulous cloud like texture with a subtly sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with a sweet filling.
Although classic alfajores are similar to a butter cookie in flavor and paired with caramelly dulce de leche, these alfajores are chocolate with chocolate filling… oh and they are also dipped in chocolate.
They are rich in flavor, delicate in texture and unapologetically chocolatey. They are quite lovely.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 14 tablespoons of room temperature butter, 2/3 cup of granulated sugar, 3 large egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of whole milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and set aside for now.
In a separate bowl, beat together 14 tablespoons of room temperature butter with 2/3 cup of granulated sugar until it is light and fluffy.
Add 3 large egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of whole milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and then form the dough into a disk. Cover the disk tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
Once the dough is chilled, divide the dough in half and place one of the halves between two sheets of non-stick parchment paper or wax paper. Return the other half of the dough into the refrigerator, while you work with the first portion of dough.
Roll the dough out to between 1/4″ to 1/8″ thickness. It may be a little stiff at first, but keep rolling until the dough is as even as possible and then cut out your cookies.
Because I am filling and dipping these cookies, I wanted to keep them on the smaller side, so I am using a one inch round cutter today, but you can make them any size you prefer!
Transfer the cut out dough onto parchment lined baking sheets and place them in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. These cookies will not spread, so you can place them 1/2″ apart.
Bake the chilled cookies in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes and then carefully transfer them onto a cooling rack to cool fully before filling.
While the cookies are cooling, let’s make the chocolate ganache filling…
Place 4 ounces of chopped dark chocolate in a small bowl and pour 1/2 cup of hot heavy cream over the chocolate. Let it sit untouched for 5 minutes and then whisk the chocolate and cream until you have a thick, creamy, shiny chocolate ganache…
Look at that beautiful ganache! It is so smooth and shiny. I love it!
Transfer the ganache into a piping bag or a gallon zip lock bag for easy application.
Flip half of the cookies over to prepare for filling.
Carefully add about 2 teaspoons of chocolate ganache onto the center of each cookie…
Once they all have their filling, gently press their “tops” on. Be careful to evenly press down, so the ganache spreads out evenly toward the edges. Let the cookies sit on the cooling rack for about 20 minutes or until the ganache sets and they feel firmly sandwiched together.
These cookies are perfect like this, but if you want to proceed to step three and dip them, this is how we’ll do it…
Making a silky, shiny chocolate dip is super simple. Combine 6 ounces of chopped dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl with 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and microwave for 10 second increments until the chocolate begins to soften a bit. Do not microwave the chocolate until melted, only until it just begins to soften. Gently whisk the softened chocolate until it is smooth and silky.
Dip each sandwich cookie into the chocolate and use a fork to flip the cookie until all sides are coated lightly in melted chocolate. Pick the dipped cookie up with the fork and allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Transfer the dipped cookies onto a parchment lined plate.
There are so many options when decorating your alfajores. You can sprinkle some flaky sea salt, crushed hazelnuts or even some chocolate shavings over the dipped cookies before the chocolate sets. You can even just drizzle the un-dipped cookies with a little chocolate or just enjoy them as is.
They are delicate in texture, but boldly chocolate and you are going to love these beautiful cookies…
Alfajores de Chocolate
Ingredients
Chocolate Alfajores
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup of cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon of espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 14 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons of whole milk
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache Filling
- 4 ounces of dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream, hot
Chocolate Glaze Dip
- 6 ounces of dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
Garnishes
- flaky sea salt (optional)
- hazelnuts, crushed (optional)
- chocolate, melted (optional)
Instructions
Making the chocolate alfajores...
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and set aside for now
- In a separate bowl, beat together 14 tablespoons of room temperature butter with 2/3 cup of granulated sugar until fluffy
- Add 3 large egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of whole milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in with the butter and eggs and mix to combine
- Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix)
- Form the dough into a disk and wrap tightly with plastic wrap
- Chill the wrapped dough for about an hour or until firm
- Unwrap the dough and cut the disk in half
- Place one half of the dough between two sheets of parchment or wax paper and roll the dough to 1/4" - 1/8 inch thickness
- Remove the top layer of parchment or wax paper and use a round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies
- Transfer the cut out cookies onto parchment lined baking sheets
- Transfer the baking sheets into the freezer for 15 minutes
- Repeat the process with the second half of the dough while the first half chills
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Bake the cookies for 8 minutes
- Transfer the baking cookies onto a cooling rack to cool fully before filling
Make the chocolate ganache filling...
- Add 4 ounces of chopped dark chocolate into a small bowl and pour 1/2 cup of hot heavy cream over the chocolate
- Let the chocolate sit untouched for 5 minutes before whisking until smooth
- Transfer the chocolate ganache into a piping bag or gallon zip lock bag
- Flip half of the cookies upside down on a cooling rack
- Cut off a small tip of the bag and add 2 teaspoons of filling onto the “bottom” of half of the cookies
- Gently press the top onto each filled cookie and allow the sandwiches to sit for 20 minutes or until the ganache sets
Make the chocolate glaze dip...
- Add 6 ounces of chopped dark chocolate and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil into a microwave safe bowl
- Microwave for 10 second increments until the chocolate just begins to soften (do not microwave until the chocolate is melted)
- Whisk the softened chocolate and vegetable oil together until smooth and silky
- Dip the fully set cookie sandwiches into the chocolate glaze and use a fork to flip the cookies until completely covered
- Use a fork to lift the cookie a bit and allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl
- Transfer the dipped cookies onto a parchment lined plate and allow the chocolate glaze to set before serving
