Alfajores

An alfajor is two round, delicate shortbread-like cookies sandwiching a thick layer of dulce de leche, the sides rolled in shredded coconut or the whole cookie coated in dark chocolate. It is Argentina's everyday sweet — sold individually at every kiosk, bakery and petrol station in the country, and the item any Argentine abroad usually names first when asked what they miss.

What it really is

The classic version, alfajor de maicena, uses cornstarch rather than wheat flour for most of its structure, which is what gives the cookie its pale colour and its texture — crumbly and almost dissolving on the tongue rather than crisp. Two of these cookies are baked separately, cooled, then joined with a layer of dulce de leche thick enough to bulge slightly at the edge when pressed. From there the styles split: some are simply dusted with icing sugar, some rolled in desiccated coconut around the exposed filling, and the most popular version — sold under brand names like Havanna and Jorgito — is dipped whole in a shell of dark or milk chocolate.

Dulce de leche is not a garnish here; it is the reason the cookie exists. Argentina's confectionery industry effectively grew up around the ingredient, and an alfajor with a thin or stingy filling is considered a poor one no matter how good the cookies themselves are.

How it's served

• Individually wrapped, sold by the piece rather than plated — even in restaurants they usually arrive still in their wrapper.
• With coffee or maté, as an afternoon treat rather than a formal dessert course.
• Occasionally halved and plated with ice cream when a restaurant does dress one up.

How to write it on the menu

• Say which coating it has — chocolate, coconut or icing sugar — since regulars choose by coating, not just by "alfajor."
• Flag the milk in the dulce de leche and the egg in the cookie for guests checking allergens.
• If serving a boutique or house-made version, say so; most guests otherwise assume a shop-bought brand.