Recipes for these sandwich cookies vary from country to country: They’re thin and crisp in Chile, thick and soft in Argentina. Mine is a happy compromise that will practically melt in your mouth! Serve them plain, rolled in coconut as suggested below, dusted with confectioner’s sugar, or go all out and dip the assembled cookies in melted chocolate! Note: Dulce de leche is available at most fine food stores and online. Choose “repostero” or pastry-quality dulce de leche because it’s a thicker variety that holds its shape.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, well softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 14 ounces dulce de leche repostero
- 1 cup unsweetened grated coconut
Directions
Step 1
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
Step 2
In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the olive oil, egg yolks, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed to fully combine. On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. It will be crumbly.
Step 3
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper and, using your fingers, press the dough crumbs together as needed to form the dough into a rectangle about the size of your hand. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 4
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Step 5
On a lightly floured countertop with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to about
a 1/4-inch thickness and cut out 24 rounds with
a 2-inch cookie cutter. Transfer them to one of the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. The cookies should be firm, but don’t let them brown. Use a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack.
Step 6
While the first sheet is baking, press the remaining dough into a ball and roll it out. Cut out another 24 cookies and transfer them to the second cookie sheet. Bake once the first batch is done.
Step 7
To fill, mound a generous tablespoon of the dulce de leche in the center of one cookie (a 1-inch mini ice cream scoop works great). Top it with another cookie to make a sandwich, pressing down gently to spread the filling out to the edges. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
Step 8
Place the coconut in a small bowl and roll the edges of each cookie to coat.
Makes 24 sandwich cookies