| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 55 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | about 16 cookies |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup dulce de leche
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Finely grind the hazelnuts in a food processor. Spread on a baking sheet; bake until golden, 12 minutes.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, 1/3 cup of the ground hazelnuts, the baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks, liqueur and vanilla; beat until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Turn onto a sheet of plastic wrap; shape into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust the dough with flour and roll out into a 6-by-12-inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick) on a floured surface. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares; arrange 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Cut out circles from the middle of half of the squares using a small cutter. Refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes.
- Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are golden on the bottom, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Stir together the dulce de leche and the remaining ground hazelnuts. Sandwich between the plain and cut-out cookies. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 16 servings |
| Calories | 206 |
| Total Fat | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 13 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 42 mg |
| Sodium | 114 mg |
Reviews
Fantastic cookies. Dough has great consistency, easy to cut out. You can fill them with jelly or Lemon curd too, but the dulce de leche tastes best. I have been looking for a different cookies recipe–they ultimately seem all the same–and this one fits the bill
Hi there. The amount of cornstarch is correct. Cornstarch in baking can have some unexpected uses. In this take on a traditional cookie popular throughout Spain and Latin America, alfajores, the cornstarch gives a soft, delicate and slightly crumbly texture to the cookie that goes so well with the dulce de leche filling. Happy Baking!
This recipe calls for 3/4 CUP of cornstarch. Is that correct? It seems like a lot. If anyone can confirm this I wold greatly appreciate it.