Ligia Rossi's Alfajores
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Ligia Rossi, who grew up in Costa Rica, is a fan of alfajores, soft and melt-in-your-mouth sandwich cookies filled with dense, creamy, caramel-y dulce de leche. These alfajores are tender thanks to the egg yolks, butter and cornstarch. Make an easy dulce de leche filling and pipe it between two cookies. The cookies are done when they’re still pale but set, and the bottoms are lightly golden. The baking time is key for a delicate cookie.
Note: Rossi makes a triple batch of these cookies; to scale up, multiply the measurements by three and instead of 2 egg yolks, use 1 whole egg plus 4 yolks. Make as many cans of dulce de leche as desired. You can store an unopened can of dulce de leche (it should have no dents or bulges) for several months. Or use it for ice cream, brownies, pancakes, churros — or eat it straight with a spoon.
Redbird pastry chef Ligia Rossi makes alfajores — soft, tender cookies — filled with dulce de leche.
Make the dulce de leche: Remove the labels from the cans of sweetened condensed milk and put them in a large pot. Fill the pot with water until the cans are covered with by a few inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 hours. Check the water level frequently and add hot water as needed so that the cans remain submerged. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before opening. Use as needed, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to several days (an unopened can of dulce de leche lasts for several months).
Make the cookies: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter, sugar, vanilla bean paste, salt and baking powder on medium-high speed until creamy, fluffy and light in color, about 3 minutes.
Add the egg and yolks slowly and mix until fully incorporated.
In a separate large bowl, sift the all-purpose flour and cornstarch, then add it all at once to the creamed mixture. While mixing on low speed, add milk. You should have a smooth dough. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic film and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until about 1/8-inch thick. Cut with a desired mold and bake for 5 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake until the cookies are set but still pale and soft, with just the bottoms lightly golden, an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
Pipe the dulce de leche or other desired filling into the cookie, then close it with another cookie like a sandwich. Sift powdered sugar on top. Store in a covered container for up to a week.
