Are you like me? When asked to bring a dish to a get-together, and the host doesn't request something specific, do you try with all of your might to pick a recipe that goes along with the theme of the rest of the dinner, no matter if a theme is intended? Even when you really don't have the time to be creative or try something new, you still search high and low for that perfect dish to match? Be honest, now. Some of you are thinking..."you're crazy, Nikki. I just pick something quick, cheap and easy." Or, maybe you'd like to proudly tell me that you don't care what the possible theme might be, you want to impress with what you're best at. But, others of you are right there with me and are glad to know you're not the only one!
These cookies are indicative of my strange desire to keep menus theme related. It's funny, because I don't necessarily stick with a menu theme for our dinners at home, yet I feel like I need to consider it when contributing to someone elses. For instance, last night we had fish tacos...with corn on the cob on the side. Yeah, not exactly a typical combination.
A few months ago, when we drove a little over an hour to visit friends and family, I brought homemade salsa these cookies for two reasons. One, because cookies are always a perfect solution for a treat that won't spoil during a one-plus hour road trip. And, two, because I knew the host was serving carne asada tacos, and I usually relate dulce de leche also with Mexican cuisine.
The milky caramel filling in these cookies creates a butterscotch appeal, which I love. If you can not find store-bought dulce de leche, you can easily make your own at home. The soft and chewy cookies can definitely stand on their own without the extra dulce de leche sandwiched in between them, but this becomes quite dangerous if you find yourself popping them in your mouth before you can top them all! Maybe, just maybe, I made a double batch of the cookies so I could freely do this... 🙂
Recipe Card
Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 6 Tablespoons light brown sugar , packed
- ¼ cup sugar
- 6 Tablespoons dulce de leche , plus more for filling
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350?F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Mix in the sugars and 6 Tablespoons of dulce de leche. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The mixture may tend to curdle, which is normal. Adjust the speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients just until combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop, spoon a heaping teaspoon of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. (The dough will spread during baking.) Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking time. The cookies should be a golden honey brown with a light crust, but they will still be soft. Remove the pans from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheets until cool enough to safely remove with a spatula. Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, pair them up by similar shape and size. Spread the flat side of one cookies from each pair with a thin layer of dulce de leche, then top with the other cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Source: Annie’s Eats, originally from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
