DULCE DE LECHE DUOS

Dulce De Leche Duos

Cookies for breakfast? For Dinner? Sure, why not! I'm eating one now, and I think any excuse will do just fine. Picture a cookie with the subtle taste of vanilla and a filling of Dulce De Leche. Okay, that's enough talking. Let's make them so we can get to the good part. Eating them!

Adapted from 'Baking From My Home To Yours', by Dorie Greenspan

350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter - room temperature
3/4 cup store-bought dulce de leche, plus 3/4 cup for filling (Or make your own like I did - recipe follows)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside

Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until soft. Add the 3/4 cup dulce de leche and both sugars and continue to beat until it's light and fluffy. (approximately 3 minutes) Add the eggs and beat for 1 minute. The mixture may look a little curdled, but it'll smooth out after the flour mixture goes in. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients. Mix only until they disappear into the batter.

I used a '1 level tablespoon cookie scoop', and baked the cookies for 14 minutes.
The cookies will be honey brown with a light crust, but they will still be soft. Remove the sheet from the oven, but leave them on the hot sheet for a couple of minutes. Then remove them onto a rack to continue cooling.

When the cookies are completely cool spread the flat bottoms of half the cookies with a small amount of dulce de leche, and sandwich the flat side sides of the remaining cookies


Homemade Dulce De Leche

I can never find Dulce De Leche, so I have to make my own. It's easy to do!

Empty 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk into a large microwave safe bowl. I used a very large Pyrex mixing bowl. It will overflow in anything smaller than a large bowl.

Microwave on medium power for two minutes.

Remove from the microwave and stir with a wire whisk. Be very careful; the mixture and bowl will get very hot! Once it gets hot putting in the cool whisk may make it boil up a bit, so use a pot holder

Microwave on medium power for another two minutes. Remove and whisk again

Microwave on medium-low power for 16-24 minutes or until it turns thick and caramel color, stirring every two minutes.