If you love soft sandwich cookies with a sweet caramel center, you are in for a treat today.

I am sharing my recipe for dairy free dulce de leche alfajores, which are tender cookies filled with rich homemade caramel.

Traditional alfajores usually rely heavily on dairy milk and regular butter, which makes them hard to enjoy if your stomach cannot handle dairy.

This version uses simple coconut milk to create a thick caramel sauce that tastes just as good as the original version.

They are fun to put together and make a wonderful treat to share with your family.

Why This Recipe Is a Keeper

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Texture – The high amount of cornstarch creates an ultra-tender shortbread that instantly dissolves on your tongue.

Rich Homemade Caramel – Simmering full fat coconut milk with sugar makes a thick, glossy dulce de leche completely dairy-free.

Bright Lemon Flavor – Fresh lemon zest cuts through the rich caramel filling to give every single bite amazing balance.

Bakery Quality Look – Rolled coconut edges and dusted powdered sugar give these sandwich cookies a stunning bakery presentation.

Here’s What You’ll Need

For the Coconut Dulce de Leche

2 cans (13.5 oz each) Full Fat Coconut Milk
2/3 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

For the Cookies

1/2 cup Dairy Free Butter, Softened
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar, Plus More For Dusting
2 Large Egg Yolks
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 1/4 cups Cornstarch
3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt

For Finishing

1/2 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

How to Make It

Step 1

In a large, wide saucepan, combine the coconut milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and baking soda. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for 50-60 minutes until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups and thick, glossy and caramel colored. Stir more often toward the end so it doesn’t scorch.

Step 2

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a heatproof jar and let it cool completely. It thickens into a spreadable caramel as it cools.

Step 3

In a large bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar for 2 minutes until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth.

Step 4

Whisk the cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture and mix on low until a soft dough forms. Flatten into a disc, wrap tightly and chill for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to 1/4 inch thick, cut out 2-inch rounds and place them 1 inch apart, rerolling the scraps.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until set with bottoms just barely golden, keeping the tops pale. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes since they are delicate, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 6

Spread about 1 tablespoon of the dulce de leche onto the flat side of half the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies and press gently so the filling reaches the edges.

Step 7

Roll the edges of each sandwich in the shredded coconut so it sticks to the caramel. Dust the tops with powdered sugar and serve.

Recipe Tips

Use Dairy-Free Butter Sticks

Pick block or stick dairy-free butter instead of the spreadable kind from a plastic tub.

Tub butter contains extra water and air, which makes your dough sticky and causes the cookies to spread out flat in the oven.

Firm baking sticks give you the right fat ratio, keeping the dough easy to cut and ensuring the cookies stay tender and round.

Pick a Wide Heavy Pan

When you cook the coconut dulce de leche, I recommend using a wide skillet or saucepan rather than a tall, narrow pot.

A wider surface area lets the extra water evaporate much faster, which cuts down the total cooking time quite a bit.

A pan with a heavy bottom also spreads the heat evenly, preventing the sweet coconut mixture from burning near the end.

Keep the Cookie Tops Pale

Keep a close eye on your oven near the 10-minute mark so the tops of the cookies stay completely pale.

Traditional alfajores should only pick up a light golden color on the very bottom where they touch the baking sheet.

If the tops turn brown, the cookies will turn crunchy instead of melting softly in your mouth.

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