instructions

• DULCE DE LECHE: Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Open the Magnolia Brand® Condensed Milk can and pour the milk in an oven proof pan and cover with foil. Place this pan in a larger pan, and fill the larger pan with water to form a water bath. Bake for 3 hours. As you bake, stir every 45 minutes or so, making sure the water from the bottom pan isn’t evaporating. If it evaporates, replace with more water so the dulce de leche doesn’t scorch on the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven when the dulce de leche is thick, the color is a deep caramel shade. The dulce de leche will get thicker as it cools down once you let it rest in the fridge for a few hours before using it in the recipe. Since it will be used to fill alfajores, you want the dulce de leche to be very thick.
• ALFAJOR COOKIES: Sift the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice together. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter at medium high speed for 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar. Cream for another 1-2 minutes until very fluffy and light in color. Add the egg yolk and mix until combined. Add the pumpkin puree. Mix to combine.
• Add dry ingredients and mix until you form a dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Wrap it in plastic or place it in a ziplock bag and chill it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
• When it’s time to roll the cookies out, remove dough from the fridge and cut it into 4 pieces. Work with one piece at a time, while keeping the others covered.
• Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Roll each piece of dough out until about 1/2 thick over a floured surface. The dough might be breaking up, simply patch it back together by patting it down with your fingers. I used a 2.5 inch cutter to cut the cookies.
• Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cookies should look set, but not too browned.
• Let them cool down all the way before filling with the dulce de leche. I placed my dulce de leche in a piping bag to make it easier to fill the cookies.
• After filling the cookies, I melted some dark chocolate and drizzled it over the cookies.
• STORAGE: Keep cookies in the fridge for up to 5 days, in an air-tight container.