How to Make Peruvian Alfajores with Manjar Blanco - A Step-by-Step Guide

Peruvian Alfajores with Manjar Blanco are a traditional and beloved South American treat that combines delicate shortbread cookies with a rich and creamy caramel filling. These cookies are a popular sweet treat in Peru and can be found in bakeries and homes throughout the country. The combination of buttery cookies and sweet, decadent manjar blanco creates a perfect harmony of flavors and textures that will have you reaching for seconds and thirds.

With their origins dating back to th...

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 3 sticks butter
  • 5 cups cornstarch
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons pisco
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons water, or as needed
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, or as needed
  • 2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (6 ounce) can evaporated milk
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup confectioners' sugar, or to taste

Information

  • Prep Time: 1 hr
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Additional Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins
  • Servings: 48
  • Yield: 48 alfajores

  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
  • Beat white sugar and butter together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Add cornstarch, flour, eggs, pisco, vanilla extract, and baking powder. Mix gently until combined.
  • Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand until smooth. Add water as needed. Divide in half, refrigerate 1 portion, and leave the other out.
  • Coat your work surface with powdered sugar. Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch rounds with a cookie cutter or shot glass. Place rounds close together on a baking sheet. Prick each cookie twice with a fork.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes; cookies should still be white and soft, not crispy, and will firm up as they cool. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
  • Pour condensed milk, evaporated milk, and brown sugar into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until filling approaches the consistency of thick caramel, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat; mixture will firm up as it cools to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
  • Pour confectioners' sugar into a shallow bowl. Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of the filling over cooled cookies. Attach every two cookies together to make the alfajores. Roll alfajores in confectioners' sugar.
  • Nutrition

    227 cal.

    • Total Fat: 8g
    • Saturated Fat: 5g
    • Cholesterol: 37mg
    • Sodium: 83mg
    • Total Carbohydrate: 36g
    • Dietary Fiber: 0g
    • Total Sugars: 20g
    • Protein: 3g
    • Vitamin C: 1mg
    • Calcium: 67mg
    • Iron: 0mg
    • Potassium: 87mg