- 1/2 c butter, room temperature
- 1/2 c sugar
- 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 2 T apple juice
- 1 t lemon zest, freshly grated
- 2 c flour
- 1 c cornstarch
- 1/8 t salt
- 1/2 t baking soda
- 1 t baking powder
- 1 c dulce de leche
- 3/4 c grated coconut (use shredded if unavailable)
- powdered sugar
Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg yolks and mix. Add vanilla, apple juice and lemon zest. Mix well and set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and work together with your hands until all is combined and the dough is soft. Do not add any extra flour. If dough appears crumbly, add a few drops of milk. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Work with half of the dough at a time (keep the other half refrigerated). On a floured work surface, roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Repeat rolling/cutting with 2nd half of chilled dough. Bake at 325F for 12-15 minutes or until done. The cookies should be dry but not brown.
When cookies are cool, match them up into pairs of like-sizes. Spread about a tablespoon of dulce de leche onto the flat side of one cookie in each pair. Place its partner on top (flat side down) and gently press so that the dulce de leche comes to the edges. Roll edges in coconut and place on a cooling rack to set. When ready to serve, sift a light layer of powdered sugar over the tops of the cookies.
