Dulce de Leche is one of my absolute favorites. Yes, I could happily eat it right from the can and often do. I make it myself, and boiling it up in the can WELL covered is so worth it. Do 2 or 3 cans at once. You won't regret it. (Dulce instructions are in the bottom of the recipe.)
Now what can you do with DdL? in addition to eating it with a spoon? Well I've had some Linzer torte cookie cutters for quite some time, and while they're not bat cut outs, I think Autumn Leaves will do quite nicely. I think this will be my Halloween treat for me. The recipe is from Martha of course.
Ingredients
Makes 18.
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dulce de leche
Directions
- Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg, yolk, chocolate, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 36 rounds with a 2-inch cutter, and space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Using an aspic cutter set, cut a triangle, point side up, in the center of half the cookies, and then use the half-moon cutter to make one "wing" on each side of the triangle. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375. Bake until set, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool. Top each uncut cookie with 1 teaspoon dulce de leche and a cutout cookie.
Dulce de leche is basically caramel that is very simple to make. Take a can of sweetened condensed milk and place the CLOSED can into a pot of water - cover at least by 3 times. Bring the pot of water to simmer(tiny bubbles)simmer your can for 3 hours. Turn off the heat allow to cool, remove from from water and allow to completely cool - even over night...do not try to open the can before it has cooled.
*answer to Curlypops and other Australians. I gather you can buy spreadable caramel over there. Actually, if they are your cookies, use what you like as a spread... Dulce de Leche, caramel, Nutella, Fluffo (just thought of Fluffo last night) ...the point is spreadable and sweet.
