Dulce De Leche Sandwich Cookies (Alfajores)

We are on day number 6 and are halfway done in the 12 days of holiday baking! I hope you have been enjoying these recipes as much as I have. Yesterday we made Peppermint Pattie Brownies from America's Test Kitchen, and I saw another recipe for Salted Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies from them. I had never made these before, but I figured I'd give Dulce de Leche Cookies a try!

Homemade Dulce de Leche Cookies

"A little smile, a word of cheer, a bit of love from someone near, a little gift from one held dear, best wishes for the coming year...These make a Merry Christmas!" -John Greenleaf Whittier

This is the perfect cookie recipe for fans of the salty-sweet flavor combination. The cookies are buttery and flavorful soft shortbread cookies, and the sweet dulce de leche is irresistible. On top of that, the mixed in coarse sea salt into the dulce de leche is a delightful addition. The large salt granules gave it a slight crunch. This is an easy Dulce de Leche cookie recipe that is sure to be a hit over the holidays!

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour
• Superfine Sugar
• Salt
• Unsalted Butter 
• Cream Cheese
• Vanilla extract
• Dulce de Leche
• Coarse Sea Salt
• Confectioners' Sugar

Tools to Make Dulce De Leche Cookies

You don't need a lot of tools to make these cookies. I'd recommend a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on top of a half sheet pan. Use a 1 ¾ inch cookie cutter or whatever you have that is similar in size.

How to Make Dulce de Leche

You can easily make your own Dulce de Leche at home. All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk and time to let it cook. 

1. Take the label off the can of sweetened condensed milk and place the can into a large pot. Fill the pot with water until the water is about 1 inch above the top of the can.
2. Bring water to a simmer and continue to cook over low heat for about 4 hours. Continue to refill the water level as necessary. Don't let the water level go below the can, so keep watch!
3. Once done, set aside to cool.

Don't have time or the desire to make Dulce de Leche yourself? No problem! You can buy canned Dulce de Leche at pretty much any grocery store.

How To Make Dulce de Leche Cookies

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix flour, superfine sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. You could also use a large bowl and an electric mixer to do this.
2. Add butter, 1 piece at a time into the dry ingredients, and mix until crumbly. 
3. Add cream cheese and vanilla and beat until mixture begins to form large clumps.
4. Knead dough by hand, until it forms a cohesive mass. 
5. Divide dough ball in half, form each half into disk, wrap disks in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375°.
7. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll each disk of dough ⅛ inch thick; refrigerate for 10 minutes.
8. Using 1 ¾ inch cookie cutter, cut dough, gathering and rerolling scraps once.
9. Space cookies 1 ½ inches apart on prepared sheets.
10. Bake 1 sheet at a time, until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
11. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cookies cool completely.
12. Microwave dulce de leche in bowl at 50 percent power for 20 seconds. Stir in sea salt.
13. Spread bottoms of half of cookies evenly with warm delicious dulce de leche, then top with remaining cookies, pressing lightly to adhere.
14. Dust cookies with confectioners' sugar before serving

These cookies are great packaged in holiday cookie boxes, or if you have decorative pieces as we did, you can put a decorative plastic wrap around them and tie a big bow on top for an easy gift. They are always some of the best cookies for a cookie swap or just as an addition to any cookie tray.

If you have missed the other days of our holiday baking, you can find all the recipes here.  I hope you enjoy these as much as we did and don't forget to save some for yourself.

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Dulce De Leche Sandwich Cookies

A buttery shortbread cookie sandwiched with a creamy layer of Dulce de Leche with a sea salt crunch.

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Cooling Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 24 Cookies

Calories: 144kcal

Author: Serena

Ingredients

America's Test Kitchen - Dulce De Leche Cookies

• ▢ 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cup superfine sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 16 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 16 pieces and softened
• ▢ 1 ounce cream cheese softened
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ ¾ cup dulce de leche
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon coarse sea salt
• ▢ Confectioners' sugar

Instructions

• Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, superfine sugar, and salt on low speed until combined.
• Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until crumbly, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add cream cheese and vanilla and beat until mixture begins to form large clumps.
• Knead dough by hand, just until it forms cohesive mass. Divide dough in half, form each half into disk, wrap disks in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375° F.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll each disk of dough ⅛ inch thick; refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Using 1 ¾ inch round cookie cutter, cut dough, gathering and rerolling scraps once; space cookies 1 ½ inches apart on prepared sheets.
• Bake 1 sheet at a time, until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
• Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.
• Microwave dulce de leche in bowl at 50 percent power for 20 seconds. Stir in sea salt.
• Spread bottoms of half of cookies evenly with warm dulce de leche, then top with remaining cookies, pressing lightly to adhere.
• Dust cookies with confectioners sugar before serving.

Notes

Recipe Source: SerenaLissy.com

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database via Spoonacular, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 18mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 249IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

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Here are a few of our favorite cookie recipes:

• Holiday Sugar Cookies
• Red Velvet Cookies
• Mexican Wedding Cookies

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Original post December 18, 2014; updated December 20, 2021