Dulce de Leche is one of those things like soba noodles or cocoa nibs that I feel like I know about but then when I step back and actually think about (or have to use it in a recipe) I can't actually pinpoint a time that I've eaten it. But the funny thing is, that I have eaten dulce de leche multiple times- I just didn't know it. You see when this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe for Dulce de Leche Duos was selected by Jodie of Beansy Loves Cake the P&Q quickly filled with links to recipes to make your own dulce de leche (even though Dorie says to use store bought). When I clicked on the recipe from David Lebovitz I realized that pouring a can of sweetened condensed milk in a covered pie plate in water bath and baking it for two hours constitutes dulce de leche. Wait a minute, that's what my Aunt Dottie has been doing for years! She pours the cooked condensed milk in a pre-baked tart crust and tops it with unsweetened, freshly whipped cream and calls it Caramel Pie. It's an old family favorite. We're a really chic family, we're up on the new food trends. So, hey, I love dulce de leche! and even though it sounds fancy and gourmet it's really easy and cheap to make at home!
I was worried that the cookies would be cakey and soft (not my favorite cookie texture) but they were crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. The cookies themselves have dulce de leche in them and then are sandwiched between another thin layer of dulce de leche- who could ask for anything more? The one complaint I had was that they keep well before being sandwiched together but once the dulce de leche is in between them the cookies soften a bit so it's best to leave them apart until you are ready to serve or eat them.
