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These Dulce de Leche Cookies, or Alfajores as they’re also known, are melt-in-your-mouth sandwich cookies. The buttery cookies are sandwiched with decadent dulce de leche – they taste delicate and sweet and perfect!
I’m back with one of my favorite ingredients: dulce de leche! And this time, it’s all about dulce de leche cookies. Otherwise known as buttery, rich, caramel-y sandwich cookies that will haunt your dreams.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
This recipe pairs simple butter cookies with decadent dulce de leche for a cookie you’re going to love. The cookies only have five ingredients and are really simple to make.
These dulce de leche cookies are also called alfajores. Dulce de leche is a type of milk-based caramel sauce common in Latin cuisine and combining it with buttery, melt-in-your-mouth sandwich cookies is about the best thing ever! Basically dulce de leche is sweetened condensed milk that’s slow cooked to create a delicious caramel.
The first time I had a dulce de leche cookie I was hooked. They are so special – I can’t wait for you to try this recipe!
Ingredients Needed
- Softened unsalted butter: be sure it’s softened!
- Powdered sugar: I love using powdered sugar instead of granulated in these.
- Salt: Can omit if using salted butter
- All-purpose flour: be sure to measure it correctly!
- Dulce de leche: Use homemade or store bought.
How to Make Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment). Whisk dry ingredients then add with vanilla to wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Divide cookie dough in half and place each between two pieces of wax paper or parchment paper. Roll them out to ¼” thick with a rolling pin. Chill the dough for at least two hours or overnight.
- Use a round cookie cutter (mine is about 2”) to cut out the cookies. Place them on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the cookies until they turn golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack.
- Turn half of the cookies over, so the flat side is up once the cookies are cooled. Top each with a tablespoon of dulce de leche and then place another cookie (flat-side down) to make a sandwich.
Expert Tips
- Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, the dough may be sticky after you mix it. If it is, be sure to chill it so it can firm up. It will make it easier to roll it out and cut out the cookies.
- You can cut out the dough into any shape you want – circles, squares, or other shapes. If you opt for a different shape, the baking time will vary.
- The cookies don’t spread much when they bake, so you only need to space them about one to two inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Piping the dulce de leche makes it easy to top each cookie without a mess. Or use two spoons or a cookie scoop.
- The alfajores cookies are delicious plain, but sometimes I dust them with powdered sugar for a finishing touch.
Storage
Store sandwich cookies in an airtight container. To freeze, place in freezer them before or after filling. These will last several days if stored properly.
FAQ
Since there’s no leavening, these cookies don’t spread when you bake them.
Dulce de Leche Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (339g) unsalted butter softened 3 sticks
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (372g) all-purpose flour
- 2 13 ounces cans dulce de leche
Instructions
- In a large bowl with a hand or a stand mixer, cream butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Add vanilla and salt, then mix until smooth.
- Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing between each addition until completely mixed.
- If dough is too sticky to roll at this point, chill for 20 minutes.
- Otherwise, divide dough in half. Roll each half out to 1/4-inch thick between two pieces of wax paper or parchment paper.
- Chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Cut circles of dough, re-rolling as needed. I used an approximately 2-inch round cookie cutter. You can also cut them into squares or any size/shape.
- These don’t spread, so you don’t need to space them more than an inch or two on the cookie sheets. Bake for about 14-18 minutes (depending on size of cookie and thickness) until they start to get golden around the edges.
- Once cooled, turn half of the cookies upside down and fill each with about 1-2 tablespoons of dulce de leche, topping with an additional cookie to form a sandwich. Tip: Place your dulce de leche in a plastic bag or piping bag and pipe onto each cookie to make filling them easier.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.
- Serving suggestion: dust with powdered sugar for a pretty look.
Recipe Nutrition
These Dulce de Leche Cookies are very impressive looking, but easy to make! They are perfect to make when you are needing a dessert to bring to a party or get together.
I’m also wondering why it doesn’t have cornstarch or baking powder?
The recipe I created doesn’t need either.
Hi I’m just wondering why this recipe doesn’t have egg compared to other alfajores that are made with 3 egg yolks
The recipe I created doesn’t have them.
OMG! These cookies were amazing!! They are flaky and so tasty. I love anything with dulce de leche and this was so worth it.
Thanks 😊
Hi Dorothy, I made the Dulce de Leche cookies today. I used Hazelnut spread instead. They were out of this world. I always look forward to seeing new recipe from you. Thank you for sharing.
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