How to Make Dulce De Leche Sandwich Cookies
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These easy shortbread cookies come together quickly in a food processor and bake up so perfectly crumbly, you’d never know they were vegan! Studded with Ghirardelli 72% Cacao Baking Chips, coconut sugar, and a hit of creamy coconut butter, these call on the classic chocolate-coconut flavor combo with top quality ingredients. Sandwich with a thick layer of luscious coconut dulce de leche and an extra drizzle of Ghirardelli dark chocolate and you’ve got yourself a bakery-worthy treat. We love that the intense Ghirardelli 72% Cacao Baking Chips are made with cocoa beans and real vanilla - not to mention the fact that they have 50% less sugar than most semi-sweet baking chocolate. Pro-tip: bake off the cut-outs for an adorable mini cookie snack!

Prep time 1hr 30mins
Cook time 2hrs 30mins
Serves or Makes: 17

Recipe Card

For the Dulce De Leche:

ingredients

  • 1 (11.25 ounce) can sweetened condensed coconut milk

For the Cookies:

ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cups coconut sugar
  • 3 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup Ghirardelli 72% Cacao Baking Chips
  • 8 ounces butter, non-dairy
  • 2 tablespoons coconut butter

For Assembly:

ingredients

For the Dulce de Leche:

Method

  • Step 1

    Pour the sweetened condensed coconut milk into a large nonstick pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and very thick, about 30 minutes.

  • Step 2

    Transfer dulce de leche into a shallow bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Dulce de leche can be made up to 2 weeks in advance, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator

For the Cookies:

  • Step 1

    Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

  • Step 2

    Add flour, coconut sugar, and Ghirardelli 72% Cacao Baking Chips to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine and roughly chop chocolate. Add non-dairy butter alternative and coconut butter to the dry ingredients and process, using long pulses, until a dough starts to form and no large pieces of butter remain.

  • Step 3

    Turn out dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper and knead a few times until dough comes together. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll dough to ¼”. Cut dough with a 2” round cookie or biscuit cutter. Re-roll and repeat with dough scraps. Cut out a small hole in the center of half the rounds using a mini cookie cutter or piping tip (these will be the top of the sandwiches). Freeze for about 10-15 minutes.

  • Step 4

    Arrange chilled cookies 1” apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until cookies are dry to the touch and firm.

  • Step 5

    Carefully re-cut the centers of the cookies with the mini cookie cutter or piping tip if necessary. Allow cookies to cool completely.

For Assemly:

  • Step 1

    Once cookies are cool and dulce de leche is chilled, spoon a teaspoon of dulce de leche onto the surface of one solid cookie, then sandwich with one cut-out cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies, then chill sandwich cookies for 15 minutes.

  • Step 2

    Drizzle cookies with melted chocolate on a diagonal, stopping before you get to the center cut-out, and place on a clean sheet of parchment paper to allow chocolate to set completely. Serve sandwich cookies. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.