Dulce de Leche Cookies

Tonight we went to a Bible study and the food theme was Mexican. My mom made the green sauce that I showed y'all how to make back in June, and I made dulce de leche cookies. To make the dulce de leche filling, I used the "boil a can of condensed milk in a pot of water for a couple of hours" method. While some would discourage this because of safety reasons, I've never read anything about this ACTUALLY happening to someone. Plus I like to live on the edge, of course. In all seriousness though, if you use this method (which you can find in full all over the Internet...just Google it) make sure that the water is covering the can the entire time. Don't let it boil down or you may have a problem on your hands. While I've never read anything about condensed milk cans exploding, I don't want you to take any chances. Just be careful please. :)

Okay, now that we've gotten that "momma" lecture out of the way, let's get to these cookies!

I made the shortbread cookies using this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, following the recipe exactly (for once).
Your ingredients are as follows:

• 2 sticks Plus 2 Tablespoons Salted Butter, Softened
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup (scant) Corn Starch - This means don't fill the cup up the entire way :)

First, cream 1 cup of sugar and 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons of softened butter until fluffy and creamy. 

Then sift in 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1 scant cup of corn starch. (I used my grandmother's antique sifter...it works so well!)

Gently mix together the ingredients using a pastry cutter, two forks or (my personal favorite) your hands. 

Once combined, form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. It will be a little bit crumbly, but if it's too crumbly to handle you can add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of softened butter. Place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. I left mine in for almost an hour, and it held up very nicely.

Remove from fridge and roll out into a sheet, then cut out using cookie cutters. I used small heart-shaped cutters my mom bought for me way back in February. 

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned. Remove and let cool.

Once your cookies are cool, take a small spoonful of your dulce de leche (homemade or bought) and spread it on one cookie. Place another cookie on top of that. 

I sprinkled mine with a mixture of powdered sugar and cinnamon to make them extra pretty and give them a slightly spicy taste. 

Everyone at the Bible study loved them, and they fit in with the enchiladas and pulled pork perfectly. This recipe made about 5 dozen small cookies, which equaled 25 sandwich cookies (after a few of them disappeared into my tummy).