What could be sweeter than a countdown to Christmas with festive cookies!
Chef Lorena Garcia joined "Good Morning America" to kick off our 12 Days of Christmas cookies with a confection that perfectly matches the classic holiday carol.
Below is her full recipe for the delicate and crumbly butter cookie sandwiches with dulce de leche filling that she frosted to resemble 12 drummers drumming.
Makes: 2 dozen cookie sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Almond Cookies: 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 10 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt 1.5 cups all purpose flour 1.5 cups almond flour For the decorating:
1 can of dulce de leche
1 tub of white frosting
Red food coloring
Gold sanding sugar
Red sanding sugar
Directions
In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, combine the softened butter, sugar and salt. Mix until light and fluffy.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour so that the dough can firm up.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a sheet of parchment paper on a flat surface. Place another piece of paper on top of the dough and press down for easier rolling.
Using your rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Place your dough, still between the 2 papers, on to a sheet tray and place in the freezer. This will make cutting out your shapes easier!
Freeze for about 15 minutes, or until firm. Take a circle cookie cutter and make as many circles as possible by punching the shape into the dough.
Remove the cookie dough circles and place on a new piece of parchment paper on a sheet tray. If the cookies start to stick, just place the dough back in the freezer and wait until they firm again to pop out.
Roll out the extra dough or wrap and refrigerate to use again another day.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes until the edges have barely browned.
Let cool to room temperature.
To assemble the alfajores, take the dulce de leche and spoon about a half tablespoon on top of half of the almond cookies.
Place another cookie on top of the dulce de leche and press down to make a sandwich.
Place the cookies on a sheet tray and freeze for at least 1 hour. This will help the cookie stay together when dipping.
Take half of the vanilla frosting and add enough color for a Christmas red. Place the red frosting in a piping bag with a flat piping tip and the white frosting in a piping bag with a small round tip. (Or just use a sandwich bag with a small hole cut out!)
Take each cookie and pipe a flat line around the cookie using the red frosting to create flat sides to form the sides of the drum.
Using the gold sanding sugar, dip the top of the drums with the sugar.
Using the red sparkle sugar, dip the sides of the drums with the sugar.
Using the white frosting, pipe the “strings” on the side of the drum in a zig zag pattern.
Ready to serve!
Recipe courtesy of Lorena Garcia, executive chef and partner of CHICA Miami and Las Vegas.