From "The Infinite Feast: How to Host the Ones You Love—Recipes from the Big Easy . . . and Beyond" by Brian Theis, 2020 Click Here for more on my new cookbook!
Strawberry-Chocolate Alfajores
Makes 16 sandwich cookies
In my new cookbook, I have a super sweet chapter called “Cookies of Many Lands.” Here is my version of Argentina’s popular cookie, the alfajore. 🇦🇷 I have boldly substituted the usual dulce de leche filling with strawberry preserves and chocolate (YUM) because dulce de leche can be hard to find in parts of the USA and making it yourself properly at home can take up to two hours. I hope you’ll enjoy this totes tasty twist on the classic! ✨
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup strawberry preserves
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (1 1/3 cups)
8 ounces flaked sweetened coconut
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 cookie sheets. In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt. Add butter and oil. Using hands, make dough. On floured surface, roll out dough 1/8-inch thick. Using 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut 32 cookies and place on greased sheets 1/2-inch apart. Bake 15 minutes till slightly golden around edges. Cool on baking sheets.
Coat medium heatproof bowl with cooking spray. Add chocolate chips and set bowl over small pot with 2 inches of simmering water. Make sure water doesn't touch bowl.
When chocolate is melted, move quickly through next steps. Using a tablespoon, spread chocolate on 16 of the cookies. Then spread a teaspoon of preserves over chocolate. Sprinkle each generously with coconut.
To finish, spread one tablespoon of chocolate on each of the remaining 16 cookies then sandwich with the first 16 halves. Refrigerate for one hour so chocolate hardens. Cover and keep chilled between servings.