Dulce de Leche White Chocolate Cookies

Our local paper hosts a “12 Days of Cookies” contest  every year with the prize being a year’s worth of milk from a local dairy.   “Salted Caramel White Chocolate Cookies” was a stand out in 2012 and I saved this recipe all year.   You know me, though.  I couldn’t leave well enough alone and I modified the recipe by swapping out the store-bought caramel sauce with homemade Dulce de leche.   (By the way, I entered my Pumpkin-Pecan Spice Cookies  this year but didn’t win a thing—not even an honorable mention.)

To make your own Dulce de leche, place the contents of one can of sweetened condensed milk in a pint jar. Screw on lid TIGHT.  Place in a slow cooker, cover with water, set on high and cover with lid.   (If your crock pot is too shallow, lay the tightly sealed jar on its side.)   Let simmer away for about three to four hours.   Remove and let cool.   You will get the most decadent, dark caramely goodness you have ever seen.

Happiness in a jar!

Happiness in a jar!

You will only use 1/3 of a cup of this heavenly stuff in these cookies which leaves you a good amount to play around with.    Besides eating it right out of the jar, you can swirl it in homemade vanilla or chocolate ice cream, use it to frost brownies, or put it in an apple pie.

Dulce de Leche White Chocolate Cookies
based on Salted Caramel White Chocolate Cookies

2 sticks  butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. dark brown sugar, packed
2 large farm fresh eggs
1 T. pure vanilla extract
1/3 c.  Dulce de leche
3 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
12 oz.  white chocolate chips
Fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a stand or electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the Dulce de leche. Add in eggs one at a time and then mix in the vanilla extract.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients. Stir in the white chocolate chips.

Using a medium cookie scoop, drop cookie dough  on a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Press down slightly and sprinkle with a pinch or two of fleur de sel. Bake for about 10-12 minutes and check the cookies to see if they are golden around edges. Cook for a couple minutes longer, if needed, for larger cookies.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

These are the absolutely perfect cookies to leave out for Santa tonight.    If you have been a bit naughty this year, you might want to leave him a jar of Dulce de leche and a spoon, too.   It might work miracles, who knows?

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Dulce de Leche cookies. The background for this pic is a vintage holiday table cloth of my grandmother’s.

Food‘nFlix

OK—it is a tremendously busy season, right?

OK—so no one will judge me if I use this post for the December Food ‘n Flix event?

OK—so I kind of feel like I am whimping out by posting a cookie and not coming up with a spectacular candy cane, maple syrup laden spaghetti dish.

Forgive me and show me some Christmas love.

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I had not seen Elf and was pleased when Elizabeth (of The Law Student’s Cookbook) suggested it.   I needed a holiday classic to get in the full spirit of Christmas and I needed to “discover my inner elf” as well.   How can one not love Will Ferrell?   I have to admit, however, that I couldn’t help seeing Ron Burgundy dressed in a green suit.  LOL

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Cookies for Santa (or whomever ends up eating them).

As I mentioned before, please leave these cookies out for yourself Santa tonight.   Poor Buddy:  “What about Santa’s cookies? I suppose parents eat those too?”

Have a great holiday and I hope Santa stuffs your stocking!

For all my Food ‘n Flix posts, click here.

Merry Christmas!

(Stay tuned for a big announcement—I am hosting Food ‘n Flix in January!!!!)

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