Alfajores de Maicena (Buttery Cornstarch Cookies Filled with Dulce de Leche)

Name: Alfajores de Maicena (Buttery Cornstarch Cookies Filled with Dulce de Leche)
Yield: Makes 24 cookies
Ingredients: 2 (13.4-ounce) cans, Nestlé La Lechera Dulce de Leche; 1 teaspoon, vanilla extract; ¼ teaspoon, table salt; 1½ cups (6 ounces), cornstarch; 1⅓ cups (6⅔ ounces), all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon, baking powder; ¼ teaspoon, table salt; 16 tablespoons, unsalted butter, softened; ½ cup (3½ ounces), sugar; 3 , large egg yolks; 1 tablespoon, brandy (optional); 1 teaspoon, grated lemon zest; 1 teaspoon, vanilla extract; 1 cup (3 ounces), unsweetened shredded coconut

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 2022

Desserts or Baked Goods

In the iconic version of this Latin American treat, shortbread-like cookies married with creamy dulce de leche are a melt-in-your-mouth indulgence.

SERVESMakes 24 cookies

TIME2 hours, plus 1 hour chilling

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Beloved across Latin America, alfajores de maicena are buttery sandwich cookies that are often filled with the region's caramelized milk jam, dulce de leche. In this iconic version, cornstarch in the dough leads to the characteristically cr...

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