The Chilenitos are traditional sweets from the central region of Chile, particularly from the towns of Curacaví, La Ligua, and Melipilla, and are often consumed during national holidays like the Fiestas Patrias.
These sweets, very similar to alfajores, consist of two thin and crunchy pastry discs, filled with manjar (dulce de leche) and often covered with a meringue glaze and powdered sugar.
Similar to the cornstarch alfajor prepared in other Latin American countries, they are made throughout Chile, and mainly in the central area they are known by other names compared to the alfajor, such as “cornstarch candies” or simply “chilenitos”.
Chilenitos are made with cornstarch or another type of flour and are usually simpler and smaller than common alfajores.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 20 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Chilean
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp milk
- to taste warm water
- 1/4 cup butter (melted)
- to taste manjar or dulce de leche
- 2 egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar
Tools
- 1 Cookie Cutter 2 inches
Steps
Prepare the dough:
In a large bowl, pour the flour, cornstarch, and add the egg yolks.
Mix with your hands or a fork until a sandy mixture is obtained.
Add the milk and melted butter.
Knead, adding warm water little by little until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Form the discs:
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/16 inch.
Cut out discs about 2 inches in diameter.
Place the discs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and poke them lightly with a fork.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the discs for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.
Let them cool completely on a rack.
Prepare the meringue:
Beat the egg whites until stiff, gradually adding the sugar until a shiny and stable meringue is obtained.
Spread a generous amount of manjar (recipe on the blog) on one disc and cover with another disc, pressing lightly.
Cover the top and sides with the meringue.Place the chilenitos on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven at 300°F for about 3 minutes to dry the meringue.
Turn off the oven and let them cool inside.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is the difference between Chilean alfajores and chilenitos?
Chilean alfajores → are traditionally made with hojarasca, a thin, dry, and crunchy dough, often obtained from a dough based on flour, yolks, and pisco or vinegar.
Chilenitos → use a similar (and sometimes identical) base to hojarasca, but are distinguished by shape, size, filling, and especially, meringue coating.
In many Chilean sources, they are defined as a simpler and smaller variant of alfajores, but with meringue on top and often handmade or sold at rural fairs.
The hojarasca is the typical base of Chilean alfajores.
But many chilenitos also use a version of the same dough, albeit with minor variations.
The big difference lies in the presentation: chilenitos are glazed with meringue and have a more popular and homemade origin.
