This week’s Sweet includes two of the 52 challenge ingredients, macadamia nut paste and dulce de leche. Actually, it includes vegan dulce de leche made with macadamia nut paste. Still counts, right?
I made alfajores this week. Alfajores are a traditional Arabic treat that has found its way to Spain and Central and Southern America. The variation I created most resembles the Peruvian version, a sandwich cookie of sorts with a dulce de leche filling rolled in coconut and dusted with powdered sugar.
This week’s recipe is a modification of this recipe, created by Joel Luks of Vegan Good Eats. I have removed the gluten and made a few ingredient substitutions. Visit his website, it’s full of delicious recipes and beautiful food photos!
Alfajores Cookie Recipe
(Makes approximately 25 sandwich cookies)
I used this recipe to make the cookies. I followed the recipe exactly except for substituting one cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend for the 1 cup of flour. Otherwise, this recipe is good to go as written. The instructions and accompanying photos at Vegan Good Eats are spot on; follow along and you’ll end up with 50 beautiful little cookies!
Vegan Dulce de Leche
I started with this recipe, however modified it to fit an ingredient on my challenge list, macadamias. This recipe makes more than enough for the cookies. I’m saving the leftovers for ice cream or donut filling or waffle topping or…well, it’s another sweet I might eat right off of the spoon. It’s delicious!
1 cup macadamia nut paste (process macadamias in food processor on high for several minutes until they turn into a butter. I used 0.62 pounds of macadamias, $12 worth, to make 1 cup of butter/paste.)
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 t. vanilla
3/4 t. cinnamon
Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture pulls from the sides of the pan, somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes for me. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit. The mixture thickens as it cools. My modification of this recipe worked best at room temperature.
Assembling cookies
You will need 1/4 cup or so of finely shredded coconut and a few tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Pair cooled cookies that fit well together. On first cookie, spoon a generous teaspoon of dulce de leche. Cover with second cookie and lightly press together. Roll the edges in shredded coconut. I put mine in the refrigerator for a few minutes to set up before serving.
I'll have to try this! Thanks for the recipe.