Praline Alfajores

Submitted by momaphet

"Alfajores are a shortbread like sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche (use your favorite or try Recipe #456857). These cookies will soften after the first day, which is desirable in an alfajor, but if you like yours crisp store the filling and cookies seperately and fill on the day you plan to serve them. Prep time does not include chilling the dough. Yield is approximate."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 24 sandwich cookies

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 (toast lightly before grinding)

• Filling

• dulce de leche (store-bought or homemade)

directions

1. In a stand mixer cream the butter, sugar, and shortening until fluffy.
2. Add egg (at room temperature) and beat until mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla.
3. 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.
4. Add the ground nuts and mix 20 seconds more.
5. Roll the dough into two cylinders, about 1.5 inches in diameter. Wrap well with saran wrap and chill until firm.
6. 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.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, watching closely, until cookies start to brown slightly. Remove from oven and cool cookies completely on a rack.
8. 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.