Alfajores de Maicena with Cornstarch and Lemon Zest – Gluten-free version

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Sift the cornstarch, gluten-free flour blend, baking soda and baking powder into a bowl.

   SifterBowl
3. 3
   Whip the soft butter with the sugar 3 minutes, until the mixture is pale.

   ⚙ WhippingBowlHand mixerorStand mixerorWhisk

   💡Cream the butter soft, at room temperature: cold butter doesn't take in air, and melted butter doesn't hold it.
4. 4
   Add the yolks, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix well.
5. 5
   Add the gluten-free flour blend, cornstarch, baking soda and baking powder and mix just until a dough forms.

   💡Mix in the gluten-free flour blend only until a dough forms: long kneading develops gluten, and the cookies come out hard instead of crumbly.
6. 6
   Wrap the dough in plastic wrap until it holds together and chill 1 hour.

   ⚙ Wrapping and Chilling the DoughPlastic wrapRefrigerator

   💡Chilling firms the butter and relaxes the gluten: the dough rolls out easily, doesn't stick to the counter and doesn't shrink in the oven.
7. 7
   Roll out the dough on a floured surface to ½ cm thick, cut out rounds 5 cm across and arrange on the baking sheet, spaced apart.

   ⚙ Rolling Out DoughRolling pinCookie cutterBaking pan

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
8. 8
   Bake 10–12 minutes, until the cookies are set, still completely pale and look soft.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Take the cookies out while they still look soft: they firm up as they cool, and long baking dries them out.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
9. 9
   Cool on a rack: the cookies firm up as they cool.

   Cooling rack
10. 10
    Spread the milk jam on half the cookies and top each one with another cookie.
11. 11
    Roll the edges of the cookies in the coconut.
12. 12
    Leave the cookies in a closed container for at least 4 hours before serving, so they soften a little.

    Storage container