Hello Kitty Alfajores

I found these cookie cutters at Daiso, but they can also be purchased on Amazon when you search for "Sanrio Hello Kitty Cookie Mold."  Any cookie cutter can in fact be used, because these cookies don’t change shape when baked.

Prep time: 4 hours 

Cook time: 8 minutes

Servings: approximately 30 cookies 

INGREDIENTS:

Dulce de Leche:

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (unopened)

Butter Base:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)

½ cup (100g) sugar

2 large egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour

1 cup (125 g) cornstarch

⅓ cup (40 g) milk powder or white cheddar cheese powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Optional Ingredients:

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 Tbsp Malibu coconut rum

DULCE DE LECHE INSTRUCTIONS:

Remove label from the condensed milk can.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then lower the unopened can into the water.

Simmer the pot on low for 3 hours 15 minutes, lid on, refilling with hot water as needed so that the can is always submerged. NEVER let the water boil below the can, else the can might burst.

Let the can cool completely to room temperature before opening.

ALFAJORES INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine the butter base ingredients. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat on low until everything is incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter base, mix on low until everything is incorporated. Keep in mind the proper way to measure flour is to fluff it up, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it off with a butter-knife or any straight edge. I would highly recommend investing in a food scale and measuring in grams instead.

Add the optional ingredients if desired and mix on low until thoroughly combined.

Cover both dough with cling wrap and rest overnight in the fridge. This will prevent the dough from cracking during assembly and baking. If you’re pressed for time, rest the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

When you’re ready to assemble, preheat the oven to 350°F, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and then line your work counter with a piece of cling wrap. This will help you lift the cookies off the counter after you cut them out.

Place the dough on the cling wrap and roll it out to 4-5 mm thickness, dust with flour on the surface of the dough to prevent sticking as needed. Use two paint mixing sticks (free upon request at most home improvement stores) as guide if you don’t have a special rolling pin to measure it out.

Using the outline cutters, cut out the kitty outlines. Then, without lifting the dough, dust the face stencil surface with a little bit of flour or cornstarch to prevent sticking, and stencil out the kitty’s face.

To make the backsides, cut using the outline cutters, but flip cookies up-side-down when placing them on the baking sheet. This will create a mirror image to the front side of the cookies and ensure the hello kitty’s bow tie outlines line up when you assemble the cookies.  

Bake for 8 minutes, until edges are slightly golden. 

After the cookies are at room temperature, flip the backside cookies upside down and gently spread about two teaspoons of the dulce de leche on each cookie. Place the cookies with the kitty face on top, align, and gently press to create a sandwich.

Enjoy!