Recipe
Gluten-Free Alfajores de Maicena
Tender cornflour and rice-flour sandwich biscuits filled with dulce de leche and edged with coconut. Lemon zest and vanilla flavour the pale biscuits, making a delicate caramel-filled treat for sharing.
Ingredients
For the biscuits
For the filling and edges
Method
25 mins prep12 mins cook110 mins total
Beat the softened butter with the caster sugar for 3–4 minutes until noticeably lighter. Gradually beat in the egg and extra yolk, then mix in the vanilla and lemon zest.
Whisk the cornflour, rice flour and baking powder together in another bowl. Work them into the butter mixture in stages, stopping as soon as a soft dough holds together.
Press the dough into a flat disc, wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line two baking trays with baking paper and heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4.
Place the dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll to 6–7 mm thick. Remove the top sheet and use a 5 cm cutter to stamp out rounds. Gently gather and re-roll the offcuts once to make 24 biscuits.
Move the rounds carefully onto the lined trays, leaving a small gap between them. Bake for 10–12 minutes per tray, until set with only a hint of colour underneath; the tops should still be pale. Bake in batches if your oven cannot accommodate both trays evenly.
Leave the biscuits on their trays for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a rack. Wait until they are completely cold before adding the filling.
Divide the dulce de leche between the flat undersides of 12 biscuits. Cover with the remaining biscuits and press very lightly until the filling meets the edges.
Put the coconut in a shallow bowl and roll the filled edges through it. Leave the assembled alfajores for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Yield and timing: Makes 12 sandwich biscuits from 24 rounds. Allow roughly 1 hour 50 minutes, including 30 minutes of dough chilling, about 25 minutes for baking and cooling, and a final 30-minute rest after filling. Baking takes 10–12 minutes per tray; add another batch time if the trays cannot bake together, and allow longer if the biscuits are still warm.
Delicate dough: Roll between baking paper to avoid working extra flour into the mixture. If it becomes too soft to lift cleanly, chill it again briefly rather than forcing the rounds off the paper.
Choose a thick filling: A firm, confectionery-style dulce de leche stays inside the sandwiches better than a pourable caramel sauce. Press the biscuits together gently, stopping when the filling reaches the edge.
Gluten-free preparation: Check the gluten-free suitability of every packaged ingredient as well as the flours and baking powder. Use clean trays, utensils and work surfaces to avoid contact with wheat flour.
Keeping: Store the filled biscuits in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let them lose their fridge chill before serving for a softer bite.
About this recipe
These pale, delicate alfajores sandwich a generous layer of dulce de leche between two lightly lemon-scented biscuits. Cornflour and rice flour give the dough its tender texture, and coconut catches around the caramel filling at the edges.
Chilling makes the soft dough easier to cut, while baking only until set keeps the biscuits from drying out. Let them cool fully before assembling, then give the filled sandwiches a short rest so they hold together neatly. Use certified gluten-free rice flour and baking powder, and check the remaining packaged ingredients when cooking for someone avoiding gluten. Handle the cooled biscuits gently when spreading the filling, as their tender edges can crumble under pressure.
