Alfajores
Makes 24 cookies
Adapted from Urban Bakes
1 cup cornstarch
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup dulce de leche, homemade or store bought are both fine (make sure it’s a thicker caramel; if it’s too soft, the caramel will ooze out once you put the other cookie on top)
Sea salt
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Heat oven to 350° F. Take out either 2 silicone baking mats or line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix the cornstarch, flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix until everything is just combined. Don’t overmix!
Gradually add the cornstarch mixture to the butter and sugar mixture until a dough begins to form.
On a countertop, lay down a large piece of plastic wrap and put the dough on top. Roll out and roughly shape the dough. Add another piece of plastic wrap over the dough and, using a rolling pin, flatten the dough until it’s ¼-inch thick.
Using either a special form or a circular lid that’s about 2 inches in diameter, begin stamping out cookies. Remove stamped out cookies and place them on the baking sheet.
Roll out leftover dough and continue stamping out cookies. Repeat this step until all of the dough is used up.
Bake cookies for an initial 8-9 minutes. If the baking sheets are on different racks, switch sheets. Continue baking for another 8-9 minutes, or until cookies begin to turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool completely.
In a small bowl, add chocolate and microwave for 30 seconds, or until the chocolate is completely melted.
Dip half of the cookies into the melted chocolate. You can only add chocolate to the top of the cookie or you can get creative and make interesting designs with the chocolate!
Let the chocolate cool completely. You can speed this process up by putting the cookies in the refrigerator.
Add a dollop of dulce de leche onto one plain cookie and spread it out over the entire surface. Put a cookie with chocolate on it on top. Make sure the chocolate side is facing up!
Dust the cookies with powdered sugar.
Enjoy!