Friday Feast - Alfajores (Peruvian Cookies)

I get random emails quite often and will just hit the delete button. Other times, I get recipes or some information that I might need or want to eventually share with you guys. 
With Paddington (the movie) coming out, I received an email for a recipe and decided to keep it... In hopes that I would decide to bake and try them out.  I have not had an urge to bake yet, but I thought it would be great to share the recipe with you all now.  
Let me know if you try it!!!!

Alfajores (Peruvian cookies)

By Marita Lynn – Runa Restaurant, Red Bank, NJ

 

Yield: 50 Alfajores

Ingredients:

2 cups All Purpose flour, sifted

¾ cup Butter, room temperature

4 tablespoons Powdered Sugar

1 cup Manjar Blanco (aka Dulce de Leche)

            1 can evaporated milk

            1 can condensed milk

            1 cinnamon stick

Cookie Preparation:

In a bowl, mix together, the flour, butter and sugar. Once mixed, use your hands to create a uniform dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

On a floured surface, making sure to flour your roller, roll the dough to ½- inch thickness. Using a 2 inch round cutter, cut out Alfajores and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes

Let the Alfajores cool on a wire rack.

Fill the Alfajores with Dulce de Leche sandwich style.

Dust with powdered sugar.

Filling Preparation:

Combine evaporated milk and condensed milk in a pan with cinnamon stick and simmer for two hours until it changes color and obtains a thick consistency.

*Manjar Blanco/Dulce de Leche can also be bought at any store, jarred or in a can.