Coconut and cardamom alfajores

You may think you don’t need another holiday cookie recipe, but these are subtly spiced, barely sweet, and super easy. Win, win, win!

Take me to the cookies!

First of all, who’s had Alfajores before? If not, get thee to an Argentinian bakery because they. are. delicious. This South American staple uses dulce de leche in between two soft, cakey, vanilla cookies and is then rolled in shredded coconut.

In the US version, we often swap the softer cookie for a crispier vanilla shortbread, which I prefer. Also, I decided to skip the shredded coconut on the outside and opt for a coconut-flavored shortbread because, while I love the taste of coconut, I don’t always love its texture.

I started with this Coconut Shortbread recipe from Food52, but simplified the method, dialed down the sugar, swapped two egg yolks for one whole egg, and added a tiny bit of cardamom for a warmer, spicier flavor that felt right for the holidays.

You know what else feels right for the holidays? Shortcuts. In this version of the recipe, we use only one bowl and mix up cold fats with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor instead of a mixer.

AND, this part might seem like sacrilege to some, but I used jarred dulce de leche. I know, I know. Bad food blogger, bad! I like this one the most and found it at World Market, but you can also find it online. If you feel like making your own, here are some options:

Smitten Kitchen’s stovetop dulce de leche
Displaced Housewife’s olive oil dulce de leche
Live Well Bake Often’s oven-baked dulce de leche
The Spruce Eats boiled condensed milk dulce de leche

Here we go!

Coconut and cardamom alfajores

Yield: 24 cutout cookies; 12 sandwiches
Time: 90 minutes (about 30 active)

½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
6 Tbsp coconut oil (solid)
½ cup cane sugar (can substitute granulated sugar if necessary)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp cardamom
¼ tsp sea salt
1 15-oz jar of dulce de leche

Cube the butter and add it to a food processor. Add the coconut oil (making sure it’s solid). Run the food processor until the butter and coconut oil have combined and are smooth, about 30 seconds. You may have to scrape down the sides.

Add the sugar, vanilla extract, and egg. Run the machine until the ingredients are well combined. Again, you may have to scrape down the sides.

Add the dry ingredients and pulse just until the dough comes together. I often need to scrape the sides once. The end result of the dough should be a crumbly wet dough that’s in large and small sandy chunks that come together easily when pressed.  The dough should be wetter than a pie dough, but slightly more crumbly than your typical sugar cookie dough.

Divide the dough roughly in half and place one dough chunk on a sheet of parchment paper. Using the paper or your hands to form a ball. Place another piece of parchment on top of the dough ball and roll out to a ¼-inch thick disk. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Chill both dough disks in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

When the dough has chilled for about 25 minutes, preheat the oven to 325.

Working one disk at a time, remove the top parchment sheet from each half and use it to line a cookie sheet. Cut out as many shapes as possible and gently transfer them. Re-roll the dough to cut out more shapes. For the cookies that will be the base of each sandwich, score gently with a fork. For the top cookie, cut out any shape you like from the middle.

Bake the cutout cookies for 14-17 minutes, turning once during baking to ensure even cooking. The cookies are done when they just begin to brown. Let cool.  

When the cookies are cool, top each bottom portion with 2-3 Tbsp of dulce de leche and top with a cutout cookie.

Chocolate banana reindeer pops

The treats train has not slowed down since Halloween and we still have a month to go until we all resolve to stop eating like there's a food shortage coming. But thankfully, we can feel full of holiday spirit, and not junk with these chocolate-covered banana reindeer. I tried this with a few different types of fruit, and bananas worked better than apples, strawberries, or grapes.

These treats are also easy to make allergen friendly. Melted carob worked just as well as regular milk, dark, and white chocolates. I used spelt pretzels because this ancient grain is easier to digest than regular wheat and the Happy Herbert brand's ingredient list is blissfully straightforward. However, there are many types of gluten-free pretzels out there that would make a good substitution. The coconut oil that thins out the chocolate also makes these frozen pops a little tropical, which reminds me that there are warmer days ahead. Eventually.

Chocolate banana reindeer pops

2 large bananas      
12-14 thin wooden popsicle sticks
Mini pretzels
Chocolate chips (milk, dark, white, carob, or dairy-free chips https://enjoylifefoods.com/our-food/baking-chocolate/chocolate-for-baking-mini-chips/) 

Cut each banana into thick slices (you should get about 6-7 slices from each large banana). Snap 12-14 pretzels in half and remove the middle nubbin.

Stick the ends of each pretzel into the sides of the banana pieces to make antlers. Stick a wooden popsicle stick into the bottom of the banana slice. Place all bananas with antlers and sticks onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for at least one hour, but up to one day.

Once the bananas are frozen, combine ½ bag of your preferred chocolate with 2 Tbsp unmelted coconut oil in a large bowl and melt in the microwave. Cook for 30 seconds on high and then in 10 second bursts until liquid, stirring between each burst. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the bananas from the freezer one by one and dip in the melted chocolate. Tap off the excess and, using a small plate, transfer back to the baking sheet in the freezer and repeat with the other frozen bananas.

Let the covered bananas freeze for at least one hour, but up to five days before serving.

Yield: 12-14 banana reindeer