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It’s here! It’s finally here!

All the preparing and baking and wrapping is over and all that’s left is the eating. I don’t know even know how many pounds of butter we went through this year but it was all worth it.

It’s Christmas!

While there was no George Clooney in my stocking this morning, there were a lot of other wonderful things including time with my family, time with my friends and a lot of laughter and cheer.

I hope that all of you are enjoying a beautiful Christmas with your loved ones. For my part, I’m sending you these rich and decadent decadent caramel sandwich cookies.

May your day be bright and merry!

Ciao!

Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies)
From the Holidays 2007 issue of Ricardo magazine.

Note: These are an adaptation of the cookie known as Alfajores.

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
at least 1 cup dulce de leche (you may need more)
1/2 dried grated coconut

In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Mix in the dry ingredients. Shape the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a floured surface, roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/8th of an inch. Using a round cookie cutter (whatever size you choose), cut out as many rounds as you can. Bake the cookies until they begin to colour, anywhere from 9 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet before handling.

For each sandwich cookie, spread about 1 tablespoon of the dulce de leche on the underside of a cookie. Top with another cookie and repeat with the dulce de leche. Top with a third cookie. Spread dulce de leche around the sides and then dip in the coconut.

Enjoy!