Queen Maxima of the Netherlands delighted royal fans by giving them a glimpse inside her 49th birthday celebrations on Sunday - and we need to make her favourite cookies! Instead of a traditional birthday cake, Maxima opted for a more unusual sweet treat, sharing her mother María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart's recipe for an Argentinian delicacy on the royals' official Instagram page.
Glamming up for the special occasion, King Willem-Alexander's wife could be seen wearing a gold one-shouldered dress with statement drop earrings and dark eye makeup. She held a tray of the baked goods, which were sandwiched together with a layer of dulce de leche and rolled in coconut. Yum!
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"During this time I celebrate my birthday at home with a typical Argentinian delicacy: Alfajores of dulce de leche. I grew up with Alfajores, they are my favourite cookies! I bake them according to my mother's recipe, which I am pleased to share with you. So you can bake them yourself at home!” the caption roughly translated. Keep reading to see how to recreate the delicious treats...
INGREDIENTS
Biscuits:
- 300g cornstarch
- 200g flour
- 200g butter (at room temperature)
- 150g sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate
- 2 level teaspoons of baking powder
- Small vanilla pod or a pinch of vanilla powder
- 1 lemon (grated)
- 1 teaspoon of cognac
Filling:
- Dulce de leche (ready-made or homemade with condensed milk and sugar)
- Grated coconut
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients with the softened butter in a bowl.
- Add the egg yolks and brandy and knead by hand into a firm dough. Form a ball and let it rest for about an hour. If the dough is not sticking together, then add 2 spoons of lemon juice.
- Roll out the dough into a 5mm to 7mm shape and cut out circles (with a glass) of about 4cm in diameter. Then place the cookie dough pieces on a baking tray lined with baking paper, about 2cm apart.
- Bake the cookies at 160 degrees for 10-12 minutes. The biscuits should discolour a little but not too much otherwise they will become too dry and break.
- Take them out of the oven and let them cool before sticking two cookies together with a layer of dulce de leche. Spread the dulce de leche to the edge and roll in the grated coconut.
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