DULCE COOKIES RECIPES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, pecans, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; gradually beat into creamed mixture; dough will be soft. Form dough into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled. , Preheat oven to 350°. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. round cookie cutter; re-roll dough scraps as needed. Place 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
  Bake until until edges begin to lightly brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For buttercream, in a large bowl, beat butter, cream and vanilla until creamy. Beat in confectioners’ sugar alternately with dulce de leche until smooth. Sprinkle cookies with additional confectioners' sugar. Pipe buttercream onto cookies; sprinkle with pecans. Store, covered in refrigerator.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over medium, melt butter until foamy, about 3 minutes. Continue cooking butter, stirring and scraping frequently with a stiff silicone spatula, until the sputtering has subsided and the butter solids look deeply browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, then whisk in the fresh ginger and ground spices. Scrape the butter and any brown bits at the bottom into the bowl of a stand mixer (or into a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Set aside until cool, slightly solid, but still creamy, about 20 minutes in the refrigerator or 2 hours at room temperature.
• Add confectioners’ sugar, molasses, vanilla, salt and baking soda to the cooled butter. Mix on low with the paddle attachment, stopping once to scrape the bowl and paddle, until creamy and combined, about 1 minute.
• Add the egg and mix on medium until pale and fluffy, stopping once to scrape the bowl and paddle, about 2 minutes. Add flour and mix until evenly combined, about 30 seconds. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days before baking.
• Prepare the sugar coating: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and ground ginger. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper, arrange the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Using a #40 cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon portions (30 grams). Roll the portioned cookie dough into balls and coat in the ginger sugar. Arrange on the sheet tray at least 1 inch apart and bake until set and lightly browned around the edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.