Making Alfajores or Dulce de Leche Cookies!

(Finshed cookie!)

I was referred by B (yet again) to  another well-sourced recipe on the web. She should be in sales because she convinces me (I am too easy) to try the stuff she reads about or has done. Without actually doing a hard-sell but rather a well-timed and -placed thought about something. Say, Sea Salt Caramels, Pumpkin Whoopie Pie, SE Asian Grub Crawl etc etc. I might as well create a tag for her in my entries because she pops up pretty often. (Done)

In this case, I used The Pink Peppercorn's recipe (shown below) + some of my pictures.

Using the butter cookie recipe she provided, I also filled them with the Earl Grey Sea Salt Caramel and also Gula Melaka (not Thai version) Caramels. My cookies must have been too thick because they overwhelmed the Dulce de Leche and Sea Salt Caramels. Except the Gula Melaka version... which was very aromatic on its own and balanced out the buttery-ness.

In any case, my friends loved it. Thank god I gave most of them away so that we can all get fat together share the wealth.

Dulce de Leche Cookies

For the cookies:
1 cup flour
1 cup cornstach
1 ¾ sticks of unsalted butter, chilled
6 tbsp icing sugar
2 pinches of salt

For the filling:
1 small can evaporated milk (160mL)
1 can condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cinnamon stick (3-4 inches)

For the cookies:
1. Start by mixing the ingredients with a food-processor. (*I never used a food processor and I managed to make it quick enough.) Then remove and begin to work the dough (crumbs at this point) by hand. At first, it will seem that a dough will never appear. Be patient, and the pieces will come together. Although, do work quickly so that the butter does not melt.
2. Roll the dough very thin, 1/4cm or so, using extra flour as needed. Cut the dough into thin rounds with a 1.25 inch cutter - a shot glass rim works well. Carefully place the cookies on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
(uncooked. Can you see my finger imprints? :D)

3. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12-15 minutes, until just starting to have a slight golden appearance. Let them cool.
(all done!)

(Close-up)

For the filling: (Not shown, Oops)
1. Heat all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, on medium/low for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally in the beginning and then constantly towards the end. Caution - it will burn! It will become thicker as it cools.
Sandwich two of the rounds together with the filling - while the filling is still quite warm. Use a small spoon to add the filling to one cookie. Let cool a few seconds, and then place another cookie on the top. Apply slight pressure until the filling is visible from the side. Although the goal is to get as much filling as possible without it going over the edge!

(In addition, I dusted confectioner's sugar on top)

(With flash for close-up)