Alfajores De Dulce De Leche Caramel Sandwich Cookies Recipes

ALFAJORES (DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH COOKIES)

Steps:

• Mix flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl. Place butter in a separate bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until soft and fluffy. Add white sugar and vanilla and mix well.
• Add flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture in 3 stages; mix until just blended. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a log. Refrigerate dough logs until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Slice dough logs into 1/4-inch cookies and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until just starting to turn golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely, about 30 minutes more.
• Use a knife to apply a generous amount of dulce de leche on one cookie. Sandwich another cookie on top and place on a serving tray. Repeat with remaining cookies and dulce de leche. Lightly dust finished cookies with confectioners' sugar.

ALFAJORES: DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Stir all the ingredients very well and add the lemon zest.
• Use an electric hand mixer to mix the butter with the powdered sugar (previously sifted) until you get a creamy mixture.
• Add the milk and egg yolks, continue mixing until all the ingredients are well combined.
• Add the flour mixture in batches and mix well in between adding each batch of flour. The final dough should be smooth and not sticky. If it's still sticky you can add an additional handful of flour.
• Divide the dough into two equal parts and make two balls of dough. Then gently squash each ball into a thick disk shape. Cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375F (200 ° C).
• Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to flatten and extend the dough until you have a thin layer. The maximum thickness of the layer should be about five millimeters (less than ¼ inch).
• Use a round cookie cutter mold to cut as many circles as you can. I used a 2 in (5 cm) round mold. You can make them smaller or larger, just adjust the baking time accordingly.
• Put the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leave at least two centimeters or ¾ inch of space between each cookie to keep them from sticking together.
• Bake the cookies for about 12-15 minutes or until they are lightly golden. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool down completely.
• Take a cooled down cookie and place a teaspoon of dulce de leche on its inner surface (the part that was stuck to the baking sheet), spread it well to the edges of the cookie and then gently stick another cookie (baking side on the caramel) on top to form a cookie sandwich.
• Place the grated dry coconut on a flat plate and roll each stuffed cookie in the coconut mix until it sticks to the dulce de leche filling, giving it the characteristic look of the alfajor cookie. You can also dust the cookies with powdered sugar.
• You can keep the alfajores or dulce de leche cookies refrigerated for a week.

GLUTEN-FREE SANDWICH COOKIES WITH DULCE DE LECHE (ALFAJORES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.
• Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Whisk in egg yolks, one at a time, until well combined. Add lemon zest and vanilla extract with the last egg. Fold into flour mixture with a spoon, mixing until dough holds together and turns into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Roll out dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut cookies with a small round cookie cutter and place on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set but not browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove immediately to cool on a wire rack.
• Spread underside of a cookie with 1 teaspoon dulce de leche. Sandwich together with another cookie until filling comes out on the sides. Roll sides in the shredded coconut.

ALFAJORES (DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH CRèME COOKIES)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In large bowl, stir cookie mix, 1/2 cup of the coconut, the pecans, butter and egg until stiff dough forms.
• On floured surface, roll half of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch round or fluted cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.
• To make each sandwich cookie, spread about 2 teaspoons dulce de leche on bottom of 1 cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down; gently press cookies together so some of filling seeps out around edges. Roll edges in remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Place cookies on cooling rack.
• Sprinkle tops of sandwich cookies with powdered sugar. Store between sheets of waxed paper in tightly covered container.

ALFAJORES WITH COCONUT DULCE DE LECHE

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Bring condensed milk, coconut milk, and ½ tsp. salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Scrape mixture into a 13x9" baking dish and bake, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until very thick and a light caramel color, 40-50 minutes. Mixture will look lumpy, broken, and very pasty-that's exactly what you want. Let cool in dish 1 hour, then transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Set dulce de leche aside for serving.
• Meanwhile, whisk almond flour and 2¼ cups all-purpose flour in a medium bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar, and 1½ tsp. salt in a large bowl, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed, until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and ¼ cup honey and beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients, and mix, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl, until incorporated. Divide dough in half and pat each piece into a 1"-thick disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, dusting with more flour as needed to keep dough from sticking, to about ⅛" thick. Punch out shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters and transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1" apart. Pat scraps into a 1"-thick disk, wrap with plastic, and chill 10 minutes if soft.
• Bake a sheet of cookies, rotating halfway through, until edges are lightly browned, 7-9 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Bake remaining sheet of cookies. Line baking sheets with fresh sheets of parchment paper and repeat process with remaining disk of dough.
• Divide coconut evenly among 3 bowls. Add 1 Tbsp. food-coloring powder (sift if needed) to a bowl of coconut and toss until coconut is coated; add more powder if a more intense color is desired. Repeat with remaining food-coloring powder and another bowl of coconut. Leave 1 bowl of coconut white. If using, add some luster dust to all 3 bowls and toss to combine.
• Turn half of the cookies over to expose flat side; spread 1 tsp. dulce de leche over (this will be the inside of the sandwiches); set aside.
• Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. honey in a small bowl in the microwave just until warm (you want it to be loose), then stir in 2 tsp. warm water. Working one at a time, lightly brush honey over the top of remaining cookies (the ones that have not been filled with dulce de leche). Immediately dip tops into a bowl of coconut; press additional coconut onto cookie to cover any bald spots. Close up cookie sandwiches, coconut side up.
• Do Ahead: Dulce de leche can be made 1 month ahead; place in an airtight container and freeze. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before using. Dough can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled. Cookies can be baked (but not assembled) 2 days ahead; store airtight at room temperature.

ALFAJORES (AN ARGENTINEAN DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH COOKIE)

Steps:

• Cream butter for a minute, add sugar and beat until fluffy.
• Add egg and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well. Beat in vanilla and lemon rind.
• In a separate bowl, sift together cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt. Add to mixture and mix well.
• Drop batter by small spoonfuls onto well buttered baking sheet. Try to keep your cookie size uniform as it will make building sandwiches easier.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove immediately.
• Sandwich the cookies together with (dulce de leche) sweet milk dessert.

ALFAJORES DE DULCE DE LECHE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat (such as Silpat).
• Sift together flour and confectioners' sugar. In a food processor, pulse together flour mixture, sugar, and butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 20 seconds. With machine running, pour in the water in a slow stream, and process just until the dough comes together, about 20 seconds. Form the dough into two flattened disks and wrap well in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. On a well-floured work surface, roll out one disk of dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 1 3/4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds from the dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other disk of dough. Gather up the scraps from both batches, and reroll and cut. Sprinkle half the rounds with sanding sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• About 30 minutes before serving, spread 1 teaspoon of the cold dulce de leche on the bottom of the unsugared cookies. Place the sugared cookies on top to make sandwiches. Serve immediately. Unfilled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
• Empty milk into the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until the milk is thick and amber in color, about 5 hours. Remove from heat, and beat with a wooden spoon to smooth out. Transfer to a clean bowl, and refrigerate several hours or up to 3 days.

CARAMEL ALFAJORES COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Process Easy Homemade Pie Dough and 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) sugar in food processor 30 sec. or until mixture is well blended and starts to form ball. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into ball; flatten into disk.
• Roll out 1 disk on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 16 rounds with 2-inch cookie cutter, rerolling scraps as necessary. Place, 1 inch apart, on parchment-covered baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake 13 to 15 min. or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec. to 1 min. or until caramels are completely melted and sauce is well blended, stirring after 30 sec. Stir in cinnamon.
• Spread caramel sauce onto flat sides of 16 cookies, adding about 1 tsp. caramel sauce to each cookie. Cover with remaining cookies, flat sides down, to make 16 sandwiches. Place on wire rack; sprinkle with remaining sugar.

ALFAJORES DE DULCE DE LECHE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment or a nonstick baking mat (such as Silpat).
• Sift together flour and confectioners' sugar. In a food processor, pulse together flour mixture and butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 20 seconds. With machine running, pour in the water in a slow steam and process just until the dough comes together, about 20 seconds. Form the dough into 2 flattened disks and wrap well in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a well-floured work surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 1 3/4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds from dough and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with other disk of dough. Gather up the scraps from both batches, and reroll and cut. Sprinkle half the rounds with sanding sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• About 30 minutes before serving, spread 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cold dulce de leche on bottom of unsugared cookies. Place sugared cookies on top to make sandwiches. Serve immediately. Unfilled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Remaining dulce de leche can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator as well.

TRADITIONAL ALFAJORES - CARAMEL SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and mix briefly.
• Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture, blending with your fingers until the mixture is smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and Pisco, and mix with your hands until the dough is homogeneous and smooth (add a little extra Pisco if dough is too crumbly to form a ball).
• Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Roll out dough to 3/8" thickness, and cut into 2 inch circles.
• Place cookies on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• .Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes, until they are barely golden brown. Let cookies cook 5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.
• To fill the cookies, spread one cookie with dulce de leche and top with second cookie. Roll the edges in the coconut.
• Store in an airtight container.

DULCE DE LECHE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray; set aside.
• Whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined; set aside.
• Add white sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/3 cup dulce de leche and vanilla; beat until well combined, 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition, 45 seconds. Add flour mixture alternately with 3/4 cup milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating on low just until combined after each addition. Evenly divide cake batter between prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes.
• Prepare the glaze: Whisk together 1/4 cup dulce de leche and 2 tablespoons milk until mixture is smooth.
• Invert cakes from pans onto a wire cooling rack; set rack on a baking sheet. Using a wooden skewer or fork, gently poke holes all over flat sides (bottoms) of cakes. Pour dulce de leche glaze mixture over cakes and smooth with an offset spatula to coax mixture into holes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Prepare frosting: Beat butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. With mixer running on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in salt. Increase speed to medium, and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, and beat in 1/2 cup dulce de leche and rum (if using) on low speed until just incorporated, 45 seconds.
• Assemble the cake: Set a cake layer on a plate with the flat side (bottom) facing up. Evenly spread 1 cup of the frosting over the cake to the edge. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of hazelnuts. Top with the second cake layer, rounded (top) side up. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and side of the cake. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of hazelnuts on top.