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Comfortably Domestic

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Alfajores {Caramel Shortbread Sandwich Cookies}

by 16 Comments

Alfajores are simple shortbread sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche, popular in Latin American countries. Decadent cookies, to say the least!

Caramel Week continues today with a recipe so good that it took two of us to blog about its wonder! But before I get to the feature recipe, let’s recap Caramel Week thus far:

Dulce de Leche Caramel made in the crock pot from ComfortablyDomestic.com

On Monday, I shared the easiest, safest method to make dulce de leche at home, using canned sweetened condensed milk.

Caramel Apple Pie via Kvetchin Kitchen

Beka @ Kvetchin Kitchen saw my dulce de leche caramel and raised it one Bring it On! with her Caramel Apple Pie.

Caramel Banana Bread Pudding by LaPetitePancake

Mads @ La Petite Pancake saw Beka’s Bring it On! and upped the ante by a Heck, yeah! with her Caramel Banana Bread Pudding.

Savory Salted Caramel Pork Loin with Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Apple Salad by Decadent Philistines

Then yesterday, Allison @ Decadent Philistines Save the World was certainly not bluffing when she brought us a sweet yet savory Salted Caramel Pork Loin with Shaved Brussel Sprout and Apple Salad.

Chewy Milk Duds Brownies by Bakeaholic Mama

  • As if dinner weren’t enough, Carrie @ Bakeaholic Mama bought in the game with  her Chewy Milk Dud Brownies. Milk Duds! In brownies! 

I totally fold.Or I would fold, if I didn’t have a recipe to share today that was so incredible that it’ll take two of us to blog about it. With such high-stakes carameliciousness already on the table, Jeanne and I couldn’t help but bring our A-Games for Caramel Week.

Alfajores | Comfortably Domestic

Today, Jeanne @ Inside NanaBread’s Head & I team up to bring you Alfajores!

Alpha-whatsies?
Alfajores: plural form of alfajor; a simple shortbread sandwich cookie filled with dulce de leche, popular in Latin American countries.
  • Alfajores can be traced back to the Moorish occupation of Andalusia in Spain. The Spanish Conquistadors brought a version of the cookie to Latin America, which was typically two buttery biscuits, filled with pureed dried fruit, and rolled in crushed nut meats.
  • The Argentinians put their own cultural spin on alfajores when they skipped the dried fruit all together and went straight for the dulce de leche to fill the sandwich cookies. I should also mention that the Argentinians like to serve alfajores for breakfast. 
Suddenly, I’m in love with Argentinian customs.
Jeanne put her spin on the South-American-spin-on-the-Spanish cookie by infusing cocoa into her recipe with her Chocolate Alfajores filled with Vanilla Bean Caramel.
Hello, Old Friends. Why don’t you pull up a chair and we’ll have a little snack.
Alfajores Caramel Sandwich Cookies | ComfortablyDomestic.com
I opted for taking the traditional route with my alfajores. These sandwich cookies are so simple that they are a new staple in our Cookie Rotation.
shortbread dough
 I whipped up a batch of my my favorite shortbread cookie dough, rolled it out and cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch rounds, before baking them to a golden, buttery perfection.
creamy caramel filling
Once the cookies had cooled, I slathered on a healthy layer of that creamy dulce de leche that I oh-so-effortlessly made in the slow cooker the other day.
topping the caramel layer
After sufficient slathering, I topped the gooey caramel filling with another cookie–sandwich style–before promptly devouring it.
Then I painstakingly repeated the process two three more times, in the name of blog research.
Dedication to my craft, Friends. Pure, unadulterated dedication to my craft.
Alfajores: Caramel Sandwich Cookies | Comfortably Domestic
Eventually, I stuffed myself moved on to assembling the remaining sandwich cookies to share with my friends.

The Friends were quite pleased. You will be too, right after you bake a batch of Alfajores and take a bite of their sweet, buttery, caramel perfection.

♥♥♥
For more high-stakes Caramel Week fun today, be sure to wander over to see Haley @ The Girly Girl Cooks-Almost-Famous Fairground Caramel Sauce, and  Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain-Dulce de Leche Milkshakes with Caramel Drizzle.
The rest of Caramel Week is shaking out with more gooey goodness on
Thursday with Kat @ Tenaciously Yours-Popcorn Crunch Sundae, and Beka’s @ Kvetchin’ Kitchen is back with a Red Wine Caramel Sauce. On Friday, Megan @ Country Cleaver checks in with Pear Caramel Mini Cheesecakes, and Madeline @ Munching in the Mitten bakes a Caramel Cake.
Tell the girls that I said “Hi!” but whatever you do, be sure to come back on Saturday for more Caramel Week fun when I share a Dulce de Leche Coffee Creamer that will cement your love affair with java for life. My friend Katie @ Hill Country Cook will be joining in with a Salted Caramel Pie.

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Comments

  2. I nearly fell off my chair when I saw this recipe - alfajores are my favourite - I became obsessed with them when I was in Argentina.... can't wait to try out this recipe!
    Reply

  3. Oh, the alfajores-laden merriment and glee. So much caramel, so many cookies. If I have gotten nothing out of this post, looking at the snaps of everyone else's goodies all in one place was nearly enough to make me eat the entire jar of caramel in my fridge in solidarity.
    Reply

  4. Oh all of this caramel is heavenly--Seriously, I LOVE caramel which makes it a little hard not to be in on the action. The cookies are lovely and my boys want them now. NOW. :) Can't wait to keep up with all of the other wonderful goodies. And when you do get back to salad week, I'll try to jump in. But fasting week--no thank you. ;) ALOHA
    Reply

  5. *Stop*The*Madness* Jut stop. Seriously! I really, REALLY need you ladies to do a Salad Week, or a Broccoli Week, or a Week of Fasting. You're killing me with these amazing recipes!!
    Reply

    • Please pretend that the post above says "just stop," as I intended but clearly missed in the non-existent "re-read what you wrote before posting" that I ALWAYS do (not). "Jut stop," of course, is more appropriately used when you find it necessary to explain to a friend or acquaintance that stopping at the "jut," because it comes up immediately before the sheer drop-off of the cliff, is the best course of action. "Make sure you don't go past the JUT STOP, or you'll be free-falling without the advantage of Tom Petty..."
      Reply

    • I can't promise you a week of fasting, but if you recall, we did a Salad Week last summer http://comfortablydomestic.com/2012/04/14/salad-week-finale-greek-quinoa-salad/ . I'm sure salads will make another appearance, but until then, have another spoonful of caramel. ;)
      Reply

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