Arepas con Queso 

Arepas con queso are delicious corn cakes stuffed with cheesy goodness. They’re crunchy on the outside and super melty on the inside—perfect for snacking or breakfast!

What You Need:

  • 2 cups hot water
  • 2 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1-½ cup amount of masarepa (really heartily recommend P.A.N brand)
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella (you can also use sliced mozzarella)
  • ¼ cup oil, for frying

What to Do:

  1. Butter Water: In a bowl, mix the hot water, soft butter, and salt. Stir it all together until the butter melts.
  2. Add the Corn Flour: Slowly add the corn flour (about ½ cup at a time) while mixing with a spoon. Keep mixing until the dough looks like playdough. If it’s too sticky, just sprinkle in a little more corn flour until it feels soft and not sticky.
  3. Shape the Dough Balls: Divide the dough into 10 small balls, about the size of a golf ball.
  4. Stuff with Cheese: Make a small hole in each dough ball and stuff it with some shredded cheese. Pinch the dough to close the hole, and roll the ball again to smooth it out.
  5. Flatten the Arepas: Use your hands to press each ball into a flat circle, about 3 inches wide and ½ inch thick.
  6. Cook the Arepas: Ask an adult to help heat some oil in a pan. Once it’s hot, place the arepas in the pan and cook for about 5–7 minutes on one side until they’re golden and crispy. Flip them over and cook for another 3–5 minutes until both sides are golden.
  7. Cool and Serve: Let the arepas rest on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil. Serve them warm and enjoy the melty cheese inside!

Easy and Fun Alfajores Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes mins Cook: 15 mins

Total: 30 mins Servings: 10 arepas

Alfajores are super yummy cookies with creamy dulce de leche (caramel) in the middle! They’re soft, sweet, and even rolled in coconut. Let’s make them together!

What You Need:

  • 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tablespoon brandy (ask an adult to help with this!)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (grated lemon peel)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 10 tablespoons soft butter
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 cup dried or shredded coconut

What to do:

  1. Make the Dulce de Leche: Ask an adult to help with this part! Put the unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk in a big pot of boiling water. Let them simmer for about 3 hours. Make sure the cans are always covered with water! Once done, let the cans cool completely before opening.
  2. Mix Flavors Together: In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon brandy, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and the lemon zest. This will give your cookies extra yummy flavor!
  3. Mix the Dry Stuff: In a big bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. This is your dry mix!
  4. Cream the Butter and Sugar: In another bowl, mix the butter and sugar until it’s fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the egg yolks and the lemon-brandy mix, and stir until everything’s combined.
  5. Make the Dough: Slowly add the dry mix to the butter mixture and stir until the dough forms. Split the dough into two logs (like a big Playdough roll) about 1½ inches thick. Wrap them in plastic and chill for 2 hours in the fridge.
  6. Bake the Cookies!: Ask an adult to help preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Take the dough logs out of the fridge and slice them into thin circles (about ⅛-inch thick). Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 7 minutes until the edges are golden.
  7. Make the Caramel Filling: Open the cans of dulce de leche (caramel). In a small bowl, mix the dulce de leche with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt. You can put the caramel in a plastic bag, cut off a corner, and squeeze it out like icing—or just use a spoon!
  8. Build the Alfajores!: Flip half of the cookies upside down and put a thick layer of dulce de leche on each one. Sandwich them with the other cookies, and roll the sides in coconut.
  9. Enjoy: our alfajores are ready! You can eat them right away or chill them in the fridge. These cookies are perfect for sharing (or keeping all to yourself)!

Easy Venezuelan Alfajores

Hey, little chefs! Let’s make some yummy alfajores – they’re like soft cookies with a sweet surprise in the middle! These treats are super popular in places like Latin America and Spain. Get ready to have some fun baking!

What You’ll Need:

Ingredients:

  • 1¼ cups flour (the same one you use for pancakes!)
  • 2¼ cups cornstarch (it’s the powdery stuff that makes things soft!)
  • 1 cup soft butter (or margarine)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (it’s like snow sugar!)
  • 3 egg yolks (just the yellow part!)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (yum, it smells so good!)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder (this makes our cookies puff up!)
  • 1 jar of dulce de leche (this is like super yummy caramel)
  • 1¼ cups shredded coconut (to roll our cookies in)

Things to Use:

  • Mixing bowl
  • Rolling pin (or a cup works too!)
  • Round cookie cutter (about as big as a bottle cap)
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Oven (grown-up needed!)

Let’s Bake:

  1. Mix Up the Flour Power: In a bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Set this aside for later!
  2. Creamy Dream: In a big bowl, squish the butter and powdered sugar together until it’s all smooth and creamy (you can use a spoon or a mixer).
  3. Eggs & Vanilla Fun: Add the egg yolks and vanilla into the butter mixture. Stir it all up until it’s mixed.
  4. Dough Time: Slowly add your flour mix into the butter mix. Keep stirring until you get a nice dough!
  5. Chill Out: Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for about 30 minutes. (Go play while it chills!)
  6. Roll & Cut: After the dough is chilled, roll it out with your rolling pin (about as thick as a pancake). Use your cookie cutter to cut out little circles.
  7. Bake Time: Preheat the oven to 350°F (get a grown-up to help!). Put your cookie circles on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake them for 5-7 minutes. They should be light and soft (not too brown!)
  8. Cool Down: Let your cookies cool on a rack before we do the fun part!

Put It All Together:

  1. Spread the Love: Take a cookie and spread some dulce de leche on one side. Yum!
  2. Make a Sandwich: Put another cookie on top, like a sandwich. Press it gently.
  3. Roll in Coconut: Roll the edges of your cookie sandwich in the shredded coconut to make them extra pretty and tasty!
  4. Enjoy Your Alfajores: Now, take a bite of your yummy creation! Share them with your family or friends if you want to be extra nice. 😊