The Good Girl

You know you’ve got the work of an alfajor master in your hands when the buttery cookies, sandwiching just a smear of dulce de leche, crumble  at the slightest touch. The alfajores made by Chilean native Guisell Osorio do just that. Osorio, who owns the Walnut Creek catering business Sabores Del Sur, grew up having the rich South American cookies baked for her by her grandmother as a reward for “being good.” For the four years Osorio has been selling her childhood treat, she’s stubbornly refused to alter her grandmother’s recipe to make the delicate alfajores more shippable—which is great for us, but not necessarily the best business practice. It’s clear her reverence for the little cookies hasn’t wavered. At the end of a 14-hour day, she still rewards herself for being good, only now it’s with an alfajor—and a glass of Merlot. “It’s truly my heaven.”

Available for $1.25 per large cookie or $9 for a dozen of the little ones (which we like best) at the Saturday Alemany Farmers Market. Go to saborsur.com for more information.