Dulce de Leche is an easily made filling of sweetened condensed milk that has been heated in the oven until thick, creamy, and deeply browned. It is perfect for these buttery pecan shortbread sandwich cookies.
These melt in your mouth cookies don't even have to be rolled out. While looking like they might be a challenge, they are easily made.I've provided several ways to finish the cookies from simple to extravagant - all elegant looking as if they came from a bakery.
I am using the recipe from David Lebovitz Dulce de Leche. I tested several methods and this seems to be the fastest and the best.
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Recipe Ingredients
Pecan Cookies
Left to Right.
Back Row: Flour, Toasted Pecans. Middle Row: Butter, Powdered Sugar. Front Row: salt, vanilla.
Cookie Finishes
Left to Right:
Back Row: Chocolate, Sanding sugar. Front Row: Shortening and Toasted Pecans.
- Pecans are toasted to bring out their maximum flavor. Be sure to cool them before processing.
- Unsalted butter is used for the purest flavor.
- Powdered sugar gives a softer texture to the cookie than would granulated sugar. Cookies made with powdered sugar have that melt-in-your-mouth quality.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations
A salted version can be made by adding sea salt to taste to the sanding sugar and pecans. Salt can also be added to the plain cookie finished with sanding sugar.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Dulce de Leche
There are differences between sweetened condensed milk. Some are thicker, some thinner so the time it takes to caramelize the milk may take longer or shorter. You'll judge when it's done by the color and thickness. The really neat thing is if it isn't thick enough to use as a filling after it's cooled just put it back in the oven with the waterbath and bake it some more.
Step 1. Different brands of condensed milk have different thicknesses. Eagle brand is consistently thicker than most so I use it for this. If a thinner condensed milk is used, the baking time will increase.
Step 2. Pour a 12 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk into an oven-proof bowl.
Step 3. Place the bowl with the condensed milk into a larger, ovenproof container to make a waterbath.
Step 4. The water bath will get very hot. For ease of moving and for safety, place the water bath on a rimmed baking sheet.
Step 5. Cover the bowl tightly with aluminum foil to keep the condensed milk creamy while it thickens. Fill the bottom container with hot water at least halfway up the bowl. Bake for 2 hours or more until dark and very thick.
Step 6. Dark brown Dulce-de-leche cooked down to a thick consistency.. Cool completely before using. If it is at all lumpy when you stir it, smooth it out by whisking.
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Step 1. Place the toasted pecans and flour in the bowl of the food processor.
Step 2. Process the nuts and flour until the nuts are very finely chopped.
Step 3. Add the powdered sugar and salt to the processor.
Step 4. Process to mix the powdered sugar and salt into the flour/pecan mix.
Step 5. Place the softened butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
Step 6. The butter and vanilla are beaten until very creamy and smooth.
Step 7. Add the flour mixture to the butter in the mixing bowl.
Step 8. Mix until the dough comes together.
Step 9. Divide the dough in half.
Step 10. Roll each half of the dough into a log.
Step 11. The logs are wrapped in plastic wrap and placed on a tray to be refrigerated or frozen.
Step 12. To more evenly cut the rolls, place your finger where you want the cut and cut straight down.
Step 13. A Tray of unbaked cookies ready for the oven.
Finishing the Cookies
Step 1. Combine the sugar and chopped pecans in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 2. Combine the milk chocolate and shortening. Microwave on half power to melt together or place over simmering water. Stir to blend together.
Step 3. Melt the chocolate and shortening in a small bowl to maximize the depth
Step 4. Pair the cookies for size. Dip the tops in chocolate. Leave plain, top with a pecan half or with the sugar-pecan mix.
Step 5. Pipe the dulche de leche on the bottom of the cookies. Place the tops on and press down lightly to evenly distribute the filling.
Step 6. Tray of all the finished cookies. Left to right: With sanding sugar, plain, chocolate and pecan, plain chocolate and with the sugar-pecans.
Recipe FAQs
These may be held at room temperature for several days.
Bake it some more following the original instructions. Make this several days ahead so it is ready when you need it.
I have made them the cookies are small because they are so rich. If you want bigger cookies, just make the cookie roll larger in size. The cookies don't spread much in the oven so they will be just a bit bigger than the size of roll.
Expert Tips
Piping the dulce de leche onto the cookie makes it much easier. I used a #3 plain tip. Lacking a pastry bag, cut the corner off of a heavy plastic bag and use that.
When dipping the top of the cookies, make sure the bowl of chocolate is small and narrow so the chocolate remains deep and not spread out.
Other Delicious Cookies to Consider
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Dulce de Leche Cookies - Your Way
Ingredients
Dulce de Leche
- 1- 12 ounce sweetened condensed milk
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- 1 cup toasted pecans (114 grams or 4 ounces)
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (210 grams or 6 ounces)
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar + 1 tablespoon (45 grams or 1 ½ ounces)
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons butter (140 grams, 5 ounces or 1 ¼ sticks)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Finishes for the Cookies
- 4 ounces milk chocolate good quality
- 1 tablespoon shortening such as crisco or food grade cocoa butter
- ¼ cup toasted pecans finely chopped
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sanding sugar
- Pecan halves
Instructions
Dulce de Leche
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Pour the condensed milk into an oven proof dish. Cover it tightly with foil.
- Place it in a large dish or pan and fill the bottom pan with hot water at least half way up the dulce de leche dish.
- Bake it for 1 ½ hours. Remove the foil (be careful of the steam - take the foil off pointing away from you.) Check the color and the thickness. If it isn't thick enough, recover, add more water and bake for another 15 minutes. Check it, repeat if necessary.
- Cool completely. If it is at all lumpy when you stir it, smooth it out by whisking.
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pecans on a baking tray and toast for 5 to 9 minutes depending upon if the pecans are cut or whole. They will be come fragrant and pick up a little color.
- Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the flour and pecans in the bowl of a processor. Process until the nuts are very finely cut in.
- Add the powdered sugar and salt and pulse several times to mix.
- Beat the butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add the flour/pecan mixture and mix until it comes together.
- Divide the dough in half (about 255 grams or about 9 ounces each). Roll each piece into a 12" log. This will make baked cookies about 1 ½ inches. If you want larger cookies, roll into a 10" log. The cookies don't spread much so they are a little bigger than unbaked.
- Wrap in plastic wrap refrigerate to firm up or freeze for longer storage.
- If using sanding sugar to finish the tops or sanding sugar with salt mix the sea salt to taste with the sugar. Set aside.
- Cut the cookies about ⅓" thick. At the bakery, this was easiest to do by putting our fingernail where we wanted to cut, placing the knife next to it and slicing straight down. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Sprinkle liberally with the sanding sugar or sanding sugar with salt.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges begin to color.
Finishing the Cookies
- Combine the chocolate and shortening or cocoa butter and melt it over hot water or microwave at half power until melted. Stir well. Do not whisk as it is too easy to incorporate air bubbles, which you definitely do not want.
- Place the glaze in a narrow container as it will be easier to dip the cookies. Dip the top of each cookie and set on parchment or waxed paper. Immediately, top the cookie with a pecan half or the sugar/pecan or sugar/pecan/salt mixture.
- Allow to set for several hours or refrigerate briefly to set.
- Pair the cookies for size and shape.
- Turn the bottom cookie upside down with its mate above it right side up. Fit a piping bag with a #3 plain tip. Pipe a mound of dulce de leche on the bottom cookie. Immediately place the top cookie on, pressing down lightly to move the filling to the edges.
- After the glaze is set, the cookies can be stored at room temperature. If you are in a hurry, refrigerate them briefly. This may dull the glaze somewhat. They can be stored at room temperature for several days.
Notes
- If, after the dulce de leche cools, it is not thick enough to stay put between the cookies, just bake it some more following the original instructions. Make this several days ahead so it is ready when you need it.
- As I have made them, the cookies are small because they are so rich. If you want bigger cookies, just make the cookie roll larger in size. The cookies don't spread much in the oven, so they will be just a bit bigger than the size of roll.
- Piping the dulce de leche onto the cookie makes it much easier. I used a #3 plain tip. Lacking a pastry bag, cut the corner off of a heavy plastic bag and use that.
- When dipping the top of the cookies, make sure the bowl the chocolate on the small and narrow side so the chocolate remains deep and not spread out.
Nutrition
Betsy Rumely says
I wonder if the weight or the measured amount for the flour is off; I both weighed and measured the flour; at the given weight, I had about 1-3/4 cups flour. My dough was very dry; I had to knead it to get it to form a roll, although the cookies did not seem dry.
They were delicious.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Betsy, I'm not sure why you had a problem. If the the butter was not soft enough that would definitely cause a problem. Some recipes suggest 68°F as the optimum temperature for creaming butter. At that temperature the mixture is sandy. I recommend 72° to 75°F as it is soft enough to mix well with sugar or egg yolks. Also, 140 grams or 5 ounces for 1 cup of of unsifted, all-purpose flour is what most professionals that bake for a living use. Did you sift your flour first or stir it really well? That will give you a different weight. Also, how did you measure your pecans? Pecan halves will give you a different measurement than pecan pieces because the pieces fit tighter in a measuring cup. As you can see from the photos, all went together smoothly. Hope this helps.
Betsy R says
Made these yesterday; delicious and I have never had anything like them. My dulce de leech was too thin; I didn't go back to the picture, but I did bake at 425 for 75 min. It needed more time.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Betsy - It does some time. You can always put it back in the oven, even if cold, and keep baking it. The true test for this recipe is the thickness.
Elizabeth says
So fun to see you profiled in the New York Times!
Helen S Fletcher says
Thanks Elizabeth - it's fun to be in there
Kathleen says
I love this method for making Dulce de Leche! What a great idea. ( I always hated heating the milk in the can, which seems to be the most common method…)
And these cookies look amazing, I can’t wait to bake some. Thank you Helen, as always!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Kathleen - and the most dangerous if the can isn't kept under the water. This was fast and easy. Enjoy the holidays.
Moira says
Two hours in a 425 degree oven seems a remarkably expensive way to caramelize one can of condensed milk.
Helen S Fletcher says
No more so than roasting meat at high temperatures I would imagine. Or you could do it as some do for 3 or 4 hours at 350°F.
vera parker says
Your recipe did not tell me what temperature to set the oven for the Eagle Brand milk.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Vera, thanks for this. It's funny because the whole time I was typing the recipe in, I kept thinking I can't forget the dulce de leche. I did! It is corrected now. The temperature is 425°F. Happy Holidays to your and yours.