South American Treats
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Fun facts about Alfajores:
- The consumption of alfajores per day in Argentina is estimated to be more than 6 million!
- Alfajores are so integral to Argentine life that the national constitution was reputedly written in an alfajores shop in the mid-19th century.
- Around one billion Alfajores are sold in Argentina each year!
- There are various styles of Alfajores, some are dipped in chocolate, others are dusted with powdered sugar, some are even triple stacked!
- The origins of Alfajores can be traced back to the 8th century where the original recipes consisted of nuts, honey, fruit, and spices that were brough over by the Moors. They were known as “alajú” and “qataiif.”
A brief history about Brigadeiros:
- Pronounced (bree-gah-day-roh) these fudgy and chocolatey truffles are a Brazilian confection that date back to the 1940s. During WWII due to food rationing of sugar and fruits, sweetened condensed milk was used as a substitute to make sweets. It is reported that women began selling these chocolatey truffles to support presidential candidate Eduardo Gomes, who just so happened to be a famous air force Brigadier.
FAQs
Questions and answers will be added here. Have a question? Email BEL@bakeeatlovebox.com
1.) I want to make both recipes in one day, how should I structure my timing?
Answer: If you would like to make both delicious treats in one day, we recommend the below schedule:
- Make the dulce de leche
- While the dulce de leche is baking, make the cookie dough
- While the cookie dough is chilling, make the truffles
- While the truffles are cooling roll out and cut the cookie dough
- Roll your truffles in the sprinkles and then bake your cookies
- After your cookies are cool fill them with the dulce de leche and roll them in the coconut
2.) What is the best way to store the finished treats?
Answer: Both the truffles and the cookies can be placed in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. The truffles can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Best Practices
- Making the cookie sandwich: Alfajor cookies are delicate. To avoid breaking your cookies follow these steps. After spreading the dulce de leche on one cookie and topping it with the other cookie, push down very lightly and gently slide the cookies with your fingertips (in a seesaw motion) to push the dulce de leche to the sides of the cookie sandwich.
- Getting the sprinkles to stick to the truffles: The truffle mixture is tacky rather than sticky. To get more sprinkles to stick, press the truffles into the sprinkles, slightly, as you are rolling them.