Alfajores (Peruvian Shortbread with Manjar Blanco)

Mix the dry ingredients

Sift the cornflour, plain flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and stir until evenly combined.

• 200 g cornflour
• 100 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt

✅ Done when: no lumps remain and the mix looks uniform

Make the dough

Beat the butter and icing sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla and pisco, then fold in the dry mix from step 1 until a soft, non-sticky dough forms; do not overwork it. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

• 200 g butter
• 80 g icing sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp pisco or brandy
• all dry mix from step 1

✅ Done when: dough is soft, holds together, and feels firmer after chilling

Cut the biscuits

Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan)/340°F. Roll the chilled dough between two sheets of baking paper to 5 mm (1/4 inch) thick, then cut 40 rounds with a 5 cm (2 inch) cutter. Place the rounds on two trays lined with parchment, spaced 2 cm apart.

• all chilled dough from step 2

✅ Done when: oven is fully heated, dough is rolled to an even 5 mm thickness, and 40 neatly cut rounds are spaced on the trays

Bake

Bake the rounds in the heated oven for 12-14 minutes, until just set but still pale, not golden. Leave to cool completely on the trays, as they are very fragile while warm.

• 40 rounds cut biscuits from step 3

✅ Done when: set, pale, and firm enough to lift without breaking

Fill and dust

Spread a generous teaspoon of manjar blanco on the flat side of half the cooled biscuits, then sandwich with the remaining biscuits. Dust generously with icing sugar before serving.

• 400 g manjar blanco
• 2-3 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting
• 40 baked biscuits from step 4