Use thick spoonable dulce de leche rather than pourable caramel syrup.
Cornstarch-rich shortbread halves enclose a firm dulce de leche layer in small caramel sandwiches.
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Dulce de Leche Christmas Shortbread Sandwiches Recipe
Follow the tray sizes, portions and baking intervals in the instructions below.
Total time includes hands-on preparation, required chilling or resting, whole-batch cooking, cooling and finishing.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- mixing bowl
- mixer
- kitchen scale
- two 13 x 18-inch half sheets
- parchment
- wide spatula
- cooling rack
Ingredients
US measures are approximate. Gram weights help keep portions consistent; spice weights vary with density.
Instructions
Mix the dough
- Mix the dough: Beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add yolk, then sifted flour, cornstarch and salt just until cohesive.
Shape and manage temperature
- Shape and manage temperature: Divide dough excluding filling into 24 equal portions, about 14 g. Press into 1 3/4-inch rounds about 1/4 inch thick and chill 40 minutes.
Bake the whole batch
- Bake the whole batch: Heat oven to 325°F (165°C) conventional or 300°F (150°C) fan. Arrange cookies on two parchment-lined 13 x 18-inch half sheets, 12 cookies per tray, with at least 1 inch between edges. Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack, keeping the waiting tray refrigerated for 15–19 minutes, rotating front to back once, until the edges and bases are lightly golden and the centers look dry. Whole-batch cookie baking is 2 trays x up to 19 minutes = 38 minutes.
Cool and finish
- Cool and finish: Rest 10 minutes on trays, then cool 20 minutes on a rack. Spread 10 g thick dulce de leche onto twelve bases and pair with twelve tops. Yield is 12 sandwiches; no extra setting wait is required.
Timing and scaling
- Timing and scaling: Active preparation is 35 minutes; required chill/rest is 40 minutes; whole-batch oven baking is 38 minutes; cooling/setting is 30 minutes. Cooling allowance runs from the final tray; earlier trays may cool during later baking and that overlap is not counted again. Start with butter at the stated consistency; ingredient warm-up and frozen-dough thawing are extra. Oven preheating can overlap shaping or chilling. Scale every ingredient weight but keep piece dimensions, oven temperature and per-tray bake range unchanged; extra trays increase whole-batch time.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Ingredient science
Cornstarch replaces wheat flour to create a fine crumb; the yolk keeps the thin halves from shattering.
Technique & texture
Use thick spoonable dulce de leche rather than pourable caramel syrup.
Finishing & serving
Spread filling almost to the edge and press gently so it does not squeeze out.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | 2 hours | Up to 2 hours for serving. Serve dulce de leche sandwiches in small batches; return to the refrigerator promptly. Reduce to 1 hour if the room is above 90°F (32°C). |
| Refrigeration | 4 days | Up to 4 days. Keep dulce de leche sandwiches airtight at 40°F (4°C) or below. Plain shortbread needs no refrigeration; the assembled filling is why this recipe specifies chilled storage. Separate layers with parchment. |
| Raw freezing | 1 month | Up to 1 month, dough only. Freeze only the shortbread dough, well wrapped; thaw covered overnight in the refrigerator, then shape and complete the recipe's full bake. Make fillings fresh; do not freeze raw egg custard or raw frangipane in assembled bars. |
| Baked freezing | 2 months | Up to 2 months unfilled; 1 month filled. Freeze fully cooled dulce de leche sandwiches airtight between parchment layers. For sandwiches, freezing unfilled baked halves and adding fresh filling gives a crisper crumb. Thaw filled items covered overnight in the refrigerator. |
| Restoring | 2 hours | Overnight refrigerated thaw; 10–20 minutes before serving. Thaw filled items covered in the refrigerator. Let a serving portion stand 10–20 minutes to soften, keeping the total room-temperature exposure within 2 hours. Do not oven-reheat filled items; add fresh powdered sugar or cocoa after thawing where used. |
Notes
- Scale ingredients, including US measures, without changing cookie size or oven temperature. Extra trays increase whole-batch time.
Nutrition
Approximate values per portion from the listed ingredient weights divided into 12 equal portions. Includes required fillings and finishes. Brands, unused coatings and actual portion size affect the estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dulce de leche the same as caramel sauce?
No; use thick prepared milk caramel that stays on a spoon, not a pourable sauce.
Are these traditional alfajores?
They are cornstarch-shortbread sandwiches inspired by that family, without claiming an exact regional formula.
How much filling is in one sandwich?
Ten grams, using all 120 g filling across twelve complete sandwiches.
