Monday, February 18, 2008

alfajores!

Let me just begin by saying that this dulce de leche turned out to be more of a headache than I'd expected--but so worth it, I can't complain.

I bought a new can of sweetened condensed milk this morning, having baked the basic cookie yesterday, and proceeded to read the directions thoroughly this time, submerging the can in boiling water...for three hours. While I waited, I baked a batch of red velvet cookies, frosted them, and then bleached the kitchen. Technically, I could have waited another hour so that the dulce de leche would be thicker, but it was of spreading consistency (albeit a tiny bit runny), so I figured I'd just go for it and see what happened.

What happened was wonderful. The cookies came out absolutely amazing BUT the seemed somehow...plain. Despite being slathered in sugary caramelized milk and dusted with confectioner's sugar. The remedy? Why, dip them in a layer of dulce de leche, a layer of melted semi-sweet chocolate, and then top with a healthy coat of sweetened coconut, of course!

Delicious. Simply and utterly delicious.
Or, to be more ethnically correct, delicioso. The cookies are called "Alfajores," and there are a multitude of minor variations on the theme that have circulated throughout Latin America, but the recipe I used was a basic butter cookie with a tiiiiiny bit of rum (which I used instead of the suggested brandy) and a little bit of cinnamon (my choice) for flavor. Quite, quite yummy.








All right then. Enjoy those while I go and learn how to be a pizza delivery person.

Kay

1 comment:

Helene said...

Doing Mapquest right now to see how quick I can get to your place!! They look wonderful!