Andalusian Alfajores (Honey Nut No Bake Cookies)
These alfajores aren’t the dulce de leche sandwich cookies familiar in South America. They’re a classic, no-bake Andalusian holiday cookie made with honey, toasted nuts, and warm spices, shaped into small cylinders and coated in sugar.
Servings: 24 cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 3/4 cup blanched almonds (107g)
- 1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts (71g)
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (18g)
- 1 cup fine breadcrumbs (168g)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup honey (340g)
For the Coating
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar (133g)
- 1/2 cup water (120ml)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (113g)
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Toast the nuts. Add the almonds and hazelnuts to a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast the nuts for 6 minutes. Add the sesame seeds to the pan. Return the pan to the oven, and roast for 4 minutes longer until the nuts are toasted and fragrant. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Make the syrup. In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Do not stir. Continue to cook for 3 minutes, or until the syrup registers 225°F on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool while preparing the cookies.
- Grind the nuts. To the bowl of a food processor, add the toasted almonds and hazelnuts. Pulse the nuts to make a coarse meal with a texture like sand. They should not start to form a paste.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Transfer the ground nuts to a mixing bowl. Add the sesame seeds, breadcrumbs, flour, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Make the dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Bring the honey to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a heat-proof spatula until thoroughly combined. Take the pan off the heat.
- Cool the dough. Scrape the dough out of the saucepan and onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread the dough into a thin layer, about 1/2 to 1 inch thick, so it cools quickly. Let the dough cool until it’s cool enough to handle, but still warm, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Shape the cookies. Once the dough is cool enough to handle comfortably, portion and shape the cookies. Divide the dough into 20 to 24 roughly equal pieces, about 30g each. Using the palm of your hand, roll each piece of dough into a cylinder about 2 1/2 inches long on a clean work surface.
- Add the sugar coating. Add the powdered sugar to a wide, shallow bowl. Set up a dredging station with the shaped cookies, the cooled syrup, the powdered sugar, and a clean piece of parchment paper. Working one at a time, dip a cookie in the syrup, rotating it to coat the entire surface with a thin layer of syrup. Transfer the cookie to the bowl of powdered sugar and toss to coat. Place the coated cookie on the clean parchment paper. Continue coating the remaining cookies. Continue coating the remaining cookies. There will be extra syrup and powdered sugar left over. I like to use a couple of forks to help drain the cookies from the syrup and keep my hands clean.
- Set and serve. Leave the cookies uncovered to dry until the sugar coating forms a hard crust, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
Notes
Nutrition
Calories: 145.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.1g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.6g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 83.3mg | Potassium: 64.3mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 22.6g | Vitamin A: 1.4IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 30.2mg | Iron: 0.7mg
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