Name: Alfajores Recipe (Gluten-Free)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 32 min
Ingredients: 2 cups corn starch (250gr); 3/4 cup white rice flour (125gr); 4 teaspoons baking powder (20gr); Pinch of salt; 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened (150gr); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 lemon zest; 2 egg yolk; 1 egg; 3/4 cup dulce de leche; 1/4 cup shredded coconut

Best Gluten-Free Alfajores recipe ever. This sandwich cookie with dulce de leche is soft, tender, and delicious. They melt in your mouth! Kids-friendly and very easy to make!

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Two "alfajores" with dulce de leche on a pink plate. Ligh blue background.

About this recipe

Best alfajores recipe! They are undetectably gluten-free like this also popular gluten-free chocolate alfajores.

Alfajores are cookie sandwiches filled with dulce de leche. The main flour of the alfajor is cornstarch, which is why it has a delicate consistency and melts in the mouth.

The soft cookies with a hint of lemon flavor mixed with the dulce de leche and the touch of coconut make them a hit.

These Argentinian pastry classics are very easy to make, and they freeze well too. Perfect for tea time and birthday parties, and they are kid-friendly!!

A hand holding an alfajor with dulce de leche on a light-blue background.

Ingredients

The main ingredients for this recipe are:

Corn starch: is the main flour of the “alfajor”.
White rice flour: I think that white rice flour is the best for this recipe. I haven’t tried another gluten-free flour.
Butter: unsalted butter softened.
Eggs: room temperature eggs are better.
Granulated sugar: white granulated sugar.
Baking powder: gluten-free baking powder. I like the cookies to puff up a bit, so I add a lot of baking powder.
Lemon zest: fresh lemon zest gives a hint of lemon flavor that is amazing.
Dulce de leche: Dulce de leche for pastry is best, has more consistency, if not the one you have.

Gluten free "alfajores" ingredients seen from above.

How to make gluten-free alfajores

Whisk corn starch, white rice flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat the softened butter with the sugar until creamy.

Add vanilla extract and lemon zest.

Add the eggs, one by one, and keep beating until incorporated well.

Add the dry ingredients and integrate everything until you get homogenous cookie dough.

Glass bowl with sugar and pieces of butter.

A plate with flour is about to be poured into a glass bowl with a mixture.

Let chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 340°F.

A stretched dough on a white surface with a cut roundel and a rolling pin.

On a lightly floured (corn starch) surface roll the dough about 1cm thickness. Cut out into rounds using a 1 or 2-inch round pastry cutter. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Place the cookies on a baking sheet with a silicone mat or lightly greased.

Cook for 10/12 minutes.

Let cool before removing.

Spread with dulce de leche into one side of one cookie. Top with another cookie and gently press together. Roll the sides in shredded coconut.

A cookie with dulce de leche on a white plate, more cookies on the side.

Storing

Alfajores can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for a week. It’s always best to eat them at room temperature, so if you keep them in the fridge, take them out 10 minutes before eating.

You can also freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Are alfajores naturally gluten-free?

No, alfajores has gluten, the main flour is corn starch but they also have flour in the recipe.

Variations

Gluten-free Flour: replace the white rice flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Regular version: substitute the white rice flour with all-purpose flour.
Filling: it’s best dulce de leche but you can also use chocolate ganache, hazelnut paste, and so on.

For more related recipes (that pairs very well with ddl)