Pope Francis’ Comfort Food: Dulce de Leche

The traditional Argentinian cookie is topped with chocolate and filled with dulce de leche, for which the Pope’s home country is renown. Follow this easy recipe which makes 18 of these exquisite biscuit sandwiches

Ingredients
2 tsp instant coffee
3/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tsps honey
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for shaping dough
1 cup cake flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Coating
12 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate if they’re handier)
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, grated
2 tbsp vegetable shortening
Method
In mall bowl, combine coffee, almond extract, and vanilla. Set aside.

Beat butter, sugar, confectioners’ sugar, and orange zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add honey and coffee and beat just until combined

Sift flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into butter mixture and combine with rubber spatula until dough comes together. Press plastic wrap directly onto dough and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.

Take chilled dough out of fridge. Coat fingers with flour and scoop 1 tbsp of dough onto prepared baking sheets and pat down to about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, at a thickness will of 1/4 inch. Repeat until dough is finished.

Bake cookies until set and dry on the surface, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer sheets to cooling rack and cool cookies until easy enough handle, about 5 minutes. Transfer cookies directly to cooling rack and cool completely, about 15 minutes.

For the Filling : Heat oven to 425°F with rack in middle. Pour the contents of 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Set plate in a roasting pan and add enough hot water to pan to reach halfway up pie plate. Bake milk in middle of oven 45 minutes. Check water level and add additional, if necessary, then continue to bake 45 minutes more, or until milk is thick and brown. Remove pie plate from water bath and cool, uncovered.

For the Coating : Melt chocolate and shortening in large metal bowl set over pot of simmering water (bottom of bowl should not make contact with surface of water). Stir with until chocolate is smooth and melted.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Carefully drop one sandwich cookie into the melted chocolate. Using a flat knife and a spatula, gently turn cookie to coat. Transfer cookie to prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining cookies.

Place cookies in refrigerator and chill until set, 15 to 30 minutes. Cookies should be served at room temperature.