Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies (shortbread-style)
These are sweet, shortbread-style sandwich cookies. Two buttery cookies filled with gooey dulce de leche (a caramel-like spread). We eat them year-round as they make great finger desserts for parties and festive occasions. Different from our traditional cornstarch alfajores, they're just as delicious and a great addition to the holiday cookie tray.
Servings 25 small filled cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional; for me, it improves the overall flavor
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups pastry dulce de leche estimated amount for the filling. Use the thick, pastry type, like dulce de leche repostero Vacalin.
Instructions
- In a bowl, beat ¾ cup unsalted butter with ¾ cup sugar just until incorporated.
- Add 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon almond extract and beat for 1 minute.
- In 2 or 3 parts, add sifted 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. You can sift them before or have the ingredients measured and sift them directly over the butter mixture (my choice). It will be a soft but not sticky dough.
- Wrap it and chill it for 2 hours or overnight. It can be in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen for a few weeks (defrost in the refrigerator the day before).
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC).
- Have baking sheets ready; no need to butter or line them with parchment paper, but you can.
- Roll the dough in 2 parts and leave the unused piece covered in the refrigerator. You can use two large pieces of parchment paper or a lightly floured surface to roll the dough. I put the dough in the middle and roll it between the pieces of paper. The dough is cold but does not crack when rolled.
- Chill it again until cold, and use a round cookie cutter to cut cookies. Dip the cutter's edge in flour and shake off the excess before cutting (prevents the dough from sticking to the cutter). These are meant to be small. I use a 1.18-inch (3cm) plain round cookie cutter.
- Place them on the cookie sheet and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until they are dry and just beginning to color. It depends a lot on the thickness of the dough, so watch the cookies closely.
- Let them cool completely on a metal cooling rack.
- Fill half the cookies with about 2 cups pastry dulce de leche. The amount will vary depending on how much you like each sandwich cookie to have. I like it to be about as thick as the cookie.
- Dust the other half of the cookies with powdered sugar before placing them on top of the filling and pressing lightly to assemble the alfajores.
Notes
Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Make-ahead: As with most cookie doughs, it can be made ahead and kept for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or up to a month in the freezer. Always make sure you wrap it well in cling film. Otherwise, the top layer will dry out.
Storage: The cookies can be kept in an airtight container for about a week. Fill them several hours ahead of the time you're planning to eat them so they have time to soften a little. Take into account that the dulce de leche transfers moisture to the shortbread cookies, and they will be softer when you bite into them.
Piping bag: you can use it with a smooth, plain piping tip for a more even and neater filling, or use a teaspoon and get more of an irregular filling.
Filling-cookie ratio: this is a fundamental part, and you must find the one that you like the most. You can bake thinner or thicker cookie rounds and use a thinner or thicker layer of dulce de leche. Do a few tests first; that is my recommendation.
