Dulce de Leche Alfajores

I know everyone is probably ready for a few hardy meals, but yesterday was make up my menu and grocery shopping day. So it didn't give me a whole lot of time for cooking, so I pulled this yummy recipe out of my archives. A while back a friend of mine visited... actually I've totally forgotten. Either Brazil or Chili. Somewhere down in South America for sure {I am such a nerd!!}. Anyways these were something he told me I had to make that they had there. So yummy!! I had never had dulce de leche before, and if you are like me and hadn't ever tried it, it has this really amazing carmel taste. Then you add the sugar cookies and coconut. Plus everything is better with a little chocolate, right? Ugh! Delicious!! Personally I preferred the cookies dipped in milk chocolate, but I loved how the white chocolate looked with the coconut. Either way, this is just melt in your mouth goodness.

As kind of a after thought, I like this sugar cookie recipe, but the one thing that bugged was having to wait 2 hours for the dough to be ready to roll out. So if you are like me and don't want to wait, a really yummy sugar cookie recipe that you could substitute is this one {click here}. Seriously awesome cookies, and you don't have to wait forever for the dough to cool in the refrigerator. Just a thought if you don't have a lot of time on your hands, but you still wanna make these oh so yummy cookies {just be sure to make the cookies as directed and then cool before applying the dulce de leche}. Enjoy!!


Dulce de Leche Alfajores

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel or lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup finely ground blanched almonds
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 13.4-ounce can dulce de leche
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut, toasted
• 12 ounces white or milk chocolate pieces, melted

In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup powdered sugar, the granulated sugar, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg, orange peel, and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in the almonds. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough into three portions. Cover and chill for about 2 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. On a surface dusted with powdered sugar, roll one portion of dough at a time to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Using a round, fluted, and/or square 2 to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out dough, making an equal number of each shape. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until tops are very light brown. Carefully transfer to a wire rack; cool completely.

Within 2 hours of serving, spread 1 rounded tablespoon of dulce de leche on the bottom of a cookie. Top with another cookie, bottom side down. Roll edges of cookies in toasted coconut so that all showing dulce de leche is covered in coconut. After all cookies have been assembled and edges rolled in coconut, line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Melt your choice of chocolate and dip cookie into chocolate until half of cookie is covered. Remove from chocolate, let excess drip off and place on parchment paper. Repeat with remaining cookies. Place in refrigerator until chocolate has set. Remove from fridge 10 minutes before serving.

Makes about 36 (2-inch) sandwich cookies.

Printable Recipe

Altered recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Special Interests Christmas Cookies.