Alfajores

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light, then beat in the egg yolks and lemon zest.
2. Gradually mix in the flour and cornstarch until a dough comes together, then chill for 1 hour. This makes it easier to handle and stops the cookies spreading too much.
3. Roll out the chilled dough, cut into circles, and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 12 to 15 minutes, then leave to cool completely.
4. Spread dulce de leche over one cookie and sandwich with another, then roll the exposed edges in desiccated coconut.
5. For an extra-rich version, dip the finished alfajores in melted chocolate and let them set on a wire rack.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

• Chilling the dough isn't optional. It firms the butter so the cookies keep their shape and stay tender.
• Roll the dough a touch thicker than you might expect, as thin alfajores tend to crack once sandwiched.
• Keep them pale. A hint of colour at the edges is as far as you want to go, so pull them before they brown.
• Push the dulce de leche right out to the edge so the coconut sticks all the way round.