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You can’t keep a good biscuit down. The culinary migratory patterns of this scrumptious delight aptly named Alfajores (thousand delights) are well known.
Appearing first in the Middle East then travelling to the Iberian peninsula with the conquering army of the Moors, this little delight has been a stock delicacy since before the eighth century AD. Its notoriety as a world-renowned crowd pleaser however, only came to the fore after the Conquistadors took it with them to what became Argentina, and there it was fashioned by the Spanish colonials into an exquisite sweet with dulce de leche.
In its original form, the Alfajores was made from ground almonds, almond slices and honey, a highly prized sweet during the Middle Ages when pickings were slim.
Today the Alfajores can come coated in dark chocolate, caramel, colored sprinkles or whatever sells and may just tickle your fancy.
Alfajores
Ingredients:
- 150 g cornflour
- 100 g flour
- 100 g butter
- 75 g confectioners’ sugar
- 3 g baking powder
- 1 g baking soda
- 2 egg whites
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- 15 g white rum
- Dulce de leche (purchase a thick version)
- Grated dried coconut
- Flour for dusting
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Put cornflour, flour, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl, mix together and set aside. Mix together butter, sugar powder, egg whites, vanilla essence and alcohol until a paste is obtained, then add the dry ingredients and mix until a nice smooth dough is formed. Remove from the mixing bowl, wrap in cling wrap and leave to rest in fridge for half an hour.
Using a rolling pin, roll out on a flour-dusted flat surface to a thickness of 3 mm. Using a number-four cutting ring, cut out circles of dough, place on baking paper on an oven tray and bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.
The Alfajores biscuit is supposed to be pale in complexion, so don’t over bake. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Once cooled, turn all the biscuits over so that their presentable side is face down.
Partly fill a piping bag with dulce de leche and pipe a nice amount into the centre of half the biscuits. Gently press the tops (remaining half of the biscuits) on, which should squeeze the filling to the edge of the biscuit. Roll the edge of the biscuit in grated dried coconut and there you have it.
Place in airtight container and they will last a few days, or freeze and eat after thawing.
Alfajores. The BFD.
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