Recipe: Hazelnut Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Dulce de Leche

Hazelnut Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Dulce de Leche

1/2 cup (4 ounces) toasted hazelnuts, very finely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Clabber Girl Dulce de Leche

Garnish
Semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Confectioner's sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Stack two large baking sheets together and line the top one with parchment paper. Prepare another set of baking sheets the same way.

In a food processor, cream the butter, sugar and salt together with the work blade, about 1 minute or until combined. Add in the flour and hazelnuts and process until dough comes together in a rough mass, about 2-3 minutes. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead to make dough stick together. Press down slightly.

Using two pieces of floured parchment paper, roll dough into a rectangle about 16 by 18 inches, or as close to that as you can to a thickness of just under 1/4 inch.

Using a 2-inch cookie cutter with serrated edges, cut out cookies and place on prepared baking sheet. Bring scraps or trimmings together and roll out and cut in a similar fashion.
Place cookies, about 1 inch apart, on baking sheet.

Bake 16-18 minutes until just golden brown at the edges and beginning to color on the cookie surface. Cool well.

To fill, using room temperature dulce de leche, and using a small metal spatula, spread on about 1 generous teaspoon of the dulce de leche on a cookie half which is on a work surface (do not do this while holding a cookie in your hand). Pressing very lightly, top with another cookie (the rough side of the cookie should sit on the Nutella). Repeat until all cookies are used up.

Dust with confectioners' sugar. Makes about 48 - 60 single cookies, 24-30 sandwich cookies