Alfajores de Miel

Alfajores de miel are the northern Argentine version of the alfajor, the beloved national cookie. Unlike the cornstarch-dusted, dulce-de-leche-filled alfajores of Buenos Aires, the northern version uses honey or cane molasses in the dough, giving the cookies a darker colour, a deeper spice flavour and a denser, chewier texture. The filling is often dulce de membrillo (quince paste) or a molasses-based paste rather than dulce de leche. Spices like cinnamon, clove and anise are common, reflecting the Andean spice tradition. Found in Salta, Jujuy and Tucuman bakeries, these alfajores are darker, spicier and more rustic than their Pampas cousins.

Dark, spiced, chewy cookie discs sandwiching a layer of quince paste or molasses, the honey and anise warm, the texture dense and rustic. Eaten with mate or coffee, a northern alternative to the cornstarch alfajor.

The cookies are a spiced, honey-enriched dough. Flour, honey or molasses, butter, sugar, spices (cinnamon, clove, anise) and baking powder are mixed into a firm dough, rolled thin, cut into rounds, and baked at 180 degrees C for 10 to 12 minutes. The baked rounds are paired, sandwiched with dulce de membrillo or a molasses paste, and the edges may be rolled in coconut or left plain. The honey in the dough keeps the cookies soft and chewy, unlike the crumbly cornstarch version. The spices and the darker sweetener give the northern signature.