I don’t pretend to know everything about candy, or even to have tried mare varieties than you.

But I have.

Regardless, there’s always something completely new that is introduced to me that leaves me shocked as to how I never had tried it before.  A few months back, my office mate brought in a treat, something called an “alfajor”.  At first, I thought, “Oh yay, a cookie”.  And if you read that as sarcastic, congrats, YOU’RE A GENIUS.  That too.  But it’s not a cookie, it’s a candy.  But first, what exactly IS a traditional Alfajor?
Defined as a confection, this thing hails from places like Spain, South America & The Caribbean.  The recipe we’re focusing on today is most like the South American version, which makes sense as the chefs are from Argentina: 2 round cookies with filling.  But friends….that’s doing a severe injustice to this delight.  Here’s their flagship Alfajor, chocolate.

Oh, I’m sorry-did I neglect to mention that it’s COVERED IN DARK CHOCOLATE?  I did, so sorry.  Oh also, check this out:

That middle filling is dulce de leche.  But you might know it by it’s other name, which is bomb-ass caramel.  So what we’re dealing with here are 2 soft, round cookies joined with a very delicious layer of dulce de leche and THEN covered in premium dark chocolate.

Look at the right side.  See those nice chunks of chocolate and caramel that occur?  Yeah.  That’s nice.  This thing isn’t a cookie, cookies don’t deserve this kind of company.  And before you start yelling at me, I love cookies, but they aint candy, and this aint a cookie.  It’s a refreshing delight, and something you need to try.  Eating one of these is like a smallish spiritual event if you are a chocolate lover.  If you also love caramel, like me, then this becomes something very special.  Smooth, rich, with the occasional chunk of dark chocolate or caramel.  It’s an event.

But that’s not all!  The fine people at Wooden Table Baking Co. in Oakland, California sent us a sample box of their Alfajores.

Gotta love the box.

From left to right, we have Snickerdoodle, Lemon Ginger, Mint Chocolate, and Espresso & Chocolate.  They’re all good, but the “alfajor” impact wasn’t quite as strong for me with the lemon ginger and snickerdoodle-they just seemed like superior versions of the cookies we know.  That’s not a bad thing, but for the true Alfajor experience, I’d recommend with going with the original, or the espresso & chocolate-they both feel the most decadent to me.  Having said that, if you’re a mint freak, then you’ll ADORE the mint one, which harkens the taste of the ubiquitous Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie, but clearly way better.

Now that Alfaores are on my radar, they won’t leave.  And while some might call them cookies or confections, they’re something just a bit different to me.  I strongly advise you to click the link below to purchase some, or if you’re in the Bay Area, head on over their way.

Alfajores!