Argentina - Alfajores

You have to make these guys!!! I really wasn't expecting so much from a simple cookie. Soft, buttery vanilla cookies sandwiched with sweet, golden dulce de leche. Perfection  

Ingredients - makes 18

1 x can of condensed milk

185g unsalted butter, softened

150g sugar

3 egg yolks 

1 tsp vanilla

130g cornflour

170g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt 

Method

Dulce de Leche: Peel the sticker off the condensed milk and place into a large pan on its side. Fill with hot water until it comes above the tin by a few inches. Place over medium heat until it starts to boil. Lower the heat and place a lid slightly ajar on top & simmer for 4 hours, making sure to top the water up as it evaporates (make sure to do this otherwise it can be very dangerous.) Once cooked, I like to leave it in the hot water, off the heat, to cool. 

Cookies: Cream together the butter, sugar & vanilla until pale. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, until combined. Mix the dry ingredients in a seperate bowl and add into the creamed butter. Mix a few times to combine, making sure not to over-mix as this will make the cookies tough. Wrap the dough and chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 175C. Roll out the dough until about a £1 coin thickness. Cut your cookies using a round cutter and place on a lined baking tray. Bake for 8-12 minutes, turning the trays halfway through. Leave to cool completely before filling half of the cookies with dulce de leche and sandwiching together with a plain cookie.