Name: Dulce de Leche and Cinnamon Sandwich Cookies
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground anise; 16 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened; 1 1/2 cup (10 1/2 ounces/298 grams) sugar , divided; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground anise; 1 1/2 cups dulce de leche

Why This Recipe Works

Dulce de leche, a South American caramel made from cooked milk, is rich and creamy—and it’s the star of these deceptively simple sandwich cookies. We lace a simple cookie dough with cinnamon and anise and roll balls of it in more cinnamon and sugar before baking. For the filling we use store-bought dulce de leche, doctored with more anise and cinnamon and enriched with a bit of butter.

Instructions

for the cookies

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and anise in bowl.

Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and 1 cup sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions until just combined, scraping down bowl as needed.

Combine cinnamon and remaining ½ cup sugar in shallow dish and set aside. Working with 2 teaspoons dough at a time, roll into 16 balls and space them 2 inches apart on prepared sheet. Bake until edges are firm, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheet for 1 minute, place in cinnamon sugar, and turn to coat evenly. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Repeat twice more with remaining dough, letting baking sheet cool between batches.

for the filling

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in cinnamon and anise and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in dulce de leche until incorporated. Spread 1½ teaspoons filling on bottoms (flat sides) of each of 24 cookies. Top with remaining cookies to form sandwiches. (Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)