Peruvian Alfajores (Shortbread cookies with dulce de leche)

Set the trivet at the bottom of the inner pot.

Place the sealed can on the trivet.

Fill the pot with water up to the max fill line. (It should cover the can completely)

Close the lid, seal the pot and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.

When the cooking cycle is done, allow the pressure to release naturally. Unlock the lid, open the pot and turn the pressure cooker off.

Open the can and enjoy or transfer it to a container.

Store it covered in the fridge for up to 15 days. Or in the freezer tightly wrapped for 1 to 2 months.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch and powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and mix until just combined, scraping the bowl once with a spatula.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a spatula once again and mix for a few seconds.

Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a disk (about 2-inches thick). Wrap it tightly and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out the dough until it’s ½-inch to ¼ -inch thick. If the dough is too cold to roll out, let it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes. Then proceed.

With a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or 3-inch cookie cutter for larger cookies), cut out the dough as close to each other as possible.

With an offset spatula, transfer them to the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2-inches apart. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Gather the remaining dough into a disk and roll it out again. Cut out the cookies, transfer to the sheet pan and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Repeat until you work your way through all of the dough .

Remove the sheet pans from the fridge and score the tops with the tines of a fork. Bake for 9 to 13 minutes (depending on thickness) or until just set. The tops should be a bit firm to the touch and the cookies should not have any color around the edges. None!

Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet.

Be gentle when assembling the cookies. They are “melt-in-your-mouth-tender” which means they can break easily!

Transfer the manjarblanco (dulce de leche) to a piping bag with a round tip (optional) or use a small spatula, spoon or butter knife to spread the manjarblanco onto the cookie.

Pipe, spoon or smear a dollop of dulce the leche on the back of a cookie and sandwich it together with another cookie, pressing them down gently.

If you are using coconut, place the coconut in a small plate. Roll the sides of the cookies in the coconut (which will adhere to the dulce de leche peeking through the sides), then dust the cookies on both sides with powdered sugar.