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ALFAJORES (Dulce De Leche Sandwich Cookies)
Dulce de Leche is a rich, creamy caramelized milk candy made entirely from condensed milk. This rich, tender cookie is absolutely delicious. You can easily make your own Dulce De Leche, with a can of Eagle Brand Milk and a lot of patience. These would be perfect to give your sweetheart for Valentines Day! *
YOU WILL NEED:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
at least 1 cup dulce de leche (you may need more)
Recipe Below
DIRECTIONS:
* In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Mix in the dry ingredients. Shape the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/8th of an inch. Using a round cookie cutter (whatever size you choose), cut out as many rounds as you can. Bake the cookies until they begin to color, anywhere from 9 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet before handling. For each sandwich cookie, spread about 1 tablespoon of the dulce de leche on the underside of a cookie. Top with another cookie. *
Place the can in a small pot and fill it with enough water to come up to one inch from the top of the can. You will need to add more water during the cooking process to make sure water doesn’t go below this level as it evaporates. Don’t let the water come less than 1/2 inch (1.25cm) from the top of can, though, as you don’t want any getting on the top of the can and going into the holes you pierced.
YOU WILL NEED:
1 Can of Eagle Brand Milkand…patience
DIRECTIONS:
To prevent the can from rattling in the water (which can be annoying when you consider that it’ll need to be in there for several hours) put a rag under the can. Place the pot on your stove and turn it on to medium-high heat. Watch the water closely until you see the water come to a simmer. Lower the heat to hold the water at a simmer. Some of the condensed milk might escape through the holes. If this happens, scoop it off with a spoon. Try not to let any spill over into the water.
Wait. How long you wait depends on the type of dulce de leche you want. A soft dulche de leche takes about three hours. A firm dulche de leche will take up to four hours. Remove the can with tongs or an oven mitt and place on a rack to cool. Be careful when emptying the contents, as you can get burned. Open the can carefully with a can opener and pour into a bowl. The top will be more fluid, and there will be thicker, darker chunks at the bottom which will need to be scraped out. When everything is in the bowl, whisk together well . It’s truly delicious!
Remove the label from the can of condensed milk. It is no longer needed! If you leave it on, you’ll get a papery mess in the water. Pierce two holes in the can with a can opener. Put the holes on opposite sides. Do not skip this step. Without these holes, the can may bulge and there is the danger of it exploding. *