Alfajores

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt (or, if using salted butter, omit extra salt)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter (Buy Irish or other high quality butter to ensure the most delicious cookies)
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
I jar of la Salamandra dulce de leche (the best I have tried-and the Stop & Shop in Jamaica Plain carries 7 brands from 5 countries, and none come close to this!)
1 cup grated and sweetened coconut (optional)
Melted semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

Sift first 4 ingredients into large bowl. Cut the butter into ¼ inch thick chunks and then incorporate into dry ingredients using your hands until the mixture has a meal-y texture. Add the egg yolks and extracts. Divide the dough into two balls, flatten them to make discs, and wrap in saran wrap to chill in fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Roll out each ball of dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (use a little extra flour to avoid the dough from sticking to the surface). Cut into 2-inch diameter circles. Bake on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet for about 8-10 minutes, if they are turning golden, take the cookies out!

Let cookies cool on cookie rack. Then spread dulce de leche on bottom side of a cookie and push the bottom side of another cookie to the filling. Press together gently as to not crush the cookies. If using coconut OR chocolate, roll edges of cookies over flakes/melted chocolate. Note: coconut OR chocolate, not both together.