Alfajores are sandwich cookies - two plain, not very sweet shortbread-like cookies filled with rich dulce de leche. They have a little bit of a praline flavor, without the pecans. I thought the caramel flavor of the
dulce de leche would go beautifully with toasted pecans, and these cookies are the result of that combination. Brown sugar shortbread cookies are baked golden brown, then sandwiched together around a rich filling of dulce de leche - heaven! These cookies will soften after the first day, which is desirable in an alfajor.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup shortening, at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup ground pecans
- Dulce de Leche, store-bought or homemade (see recipe link below)
Preparation:
- In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and shortening until fluffy.
- Add egg (at room temperature) and beat until mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, salt, and baking soda. Add to butter and sugar mixture, and mix on low speed until the flour is just incorporated.
- Add the ground nuts and mix 20 seconds more.
- Roll the dough into two cylinders, about 1.5 inches in diameter. (You can use a paper towel roll as a guide). Wrap well with saran wrap and chill until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice off 1/8" -1/4" inch thick rounds of dough, and place on a cookie sheet. Brush cookies slightly with water (using damp pastry brush), and sprinkle tops of cookies with sugar.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, watching closely, until cookies start to brown slightly.
- Remove from oven and cool cookies completely on a rack.
- Spread dulce de leche on a the bottom of a cookie and sandwich another cookie to the first, with the sugared sides of the cookies facing out.
