Alfajores
Seatango
I take back everything I said yesterday. Cookies are the best. For it is cookies—at least, it is today’s cookie—that can remind us to calm the fuck down.
Let me explain.
After a recent especially busy day full of errands, traffic, and stress, I arrived at Seatango in Lake City to investigate their alfajor options. I had seen photos of the shop on social media—their counter covered with various different flavors of cookie sandwiches, all dipped or decorated in various ingredients, from shredded coconut to Italian meringue to chocolate. After purchasing a selection, I made my way home, back through the traffic, stress, and rain. I forgot about the cookies for an hour or two—I had work to catch up on, and other "important" tasks on my self-imposed to-do list that I always make too long when blinded by optimism and possibility in the early half of the week.
When it came time to eat the cookies—because yes, eating the cookies was actually on my to-do list (my job is fun)—I assumed I would hustle through it. I’d take some photos, jot down some tasting notes, and move along to the next task. The alfajores had another idea.
The alfajores told me to sit down and shut up.
Seatango’s alfajores are thick. The cookie portion (usually a short dough made with sugar and cornstarch) trends towards the dry side, while the filling (in this case, dulce de leche) is gooey. This isn’t the kind of caramel that melts away in your mouth. No, this shit puts up a fight. One bite of this sandwich cookie turns your mouth into a machine, a mechanism designed to chew, chew, chew. You can no longer speak; you can only eat as the dulce de leche gives way to the crumbles of dough, and the two combine to create a mass even stronger than its two parts.
The entire exercise is made better with a cup of tea or coffee. The bite of the cookie and its filling becomes something else entirely when it’s cut down to size with a large sip of a warm drink. It melts away... and takes your stress and anxiety with it. For a couple minutes, anyway.
We're counting down to 2025 by sharing some of our favorite cookies on Slog every day in December! Because life is hard, and sugar helps. Will things get weird? Maybe! There may have been a small fire during the first photo shoot! But hopefully, you'll also discover some new favorite treats to enjoy this season. Track our daily recommendations here! 🍪
