Alfajores

1/4 pound butter (1 stick) at room temperature
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon brandy or cognac
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon or lime zest
2 cups flour
1 cup corn starch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 recipe for dulce de leche (or one jar of it)
1 cup grated coconut

Using good quality butter, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and creamy. Add one by one the egg yolks, vanilla, brandy and mix well. Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. Add the flour mixture over the butter mixture and work with your hands until the dough becomes soft. Do not add extra flour chill for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. On a floured work surface, roll out dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut into 2-inch rounds and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until done. The cookies will be dry but not brown. When the cookies are cool, spread a spoonful of dulce de leche in one cookie and top it with another. Press together gently; roll the seam of the alfajor in grated coconut.

Dulce de Leche (safe recipe) Pour 1 can sweetened condensed milk into 9-inch pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil; place in larger shallow pan. Fill larger pan with hot water. Bake at 425 degrees F for 1 hour or until thick and caramel-colored. Beat until smooth.
I got this recipe from my dear friend Mariana