A crumbly, tender alfajor made with a blend of quinoa flour, wheat flour, and cornstarch—delicate but not dusty. It is filled with manjar blanco and finished with a coconut edge for contrast. Classic comfort with an Andean twist.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Sift the quinoa flour, wheat flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix just enough to combine; the dry base should be even before it meets the butter.
Beat the unsalted butter with the powdered sugar for 3 minutes, until it looks lighter and creamy. We are not building cake volume here, just a soft fat base for the dough.
Add the egg yolks and vanilla essence. Beat for 40 seconds, just until combined. If the mixture looks slightly split, do not panic: the flour will bring it together.
Fold in the dry mixture in two additions and bring it together with a spatula until a soft dough forms with no dry patches. Stop when it no longer looks floury; overworking makes the alfajor less tender.
Flatten the dough into a block, cover it, and refrigerate for 20 minutes, until firm but still flexible. It should roll out without sticking like sad modeling clay.
Roll the dough to about 5 mm thick and cut 24 cookies. Transfer them to a lined baking tray, leaving a little space between each one.
Bake at 170°C for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies feel dry to the touch and are barely golden underneath. Let them cool for 10 minutes before moving them; while hot, they break if you look at them wrong.
Fill half of the cookies with manjar blanco, close with the remaining cookies, and press very gently. Roll the edges in shredded coconut until evenly coated.
