Alfajores

Preheat the oven to 170°C fan bake.

Beat the butter for two minutes then add the sugar, honey, orange zest and vanilla and beat until light and pale.

Beat in the egg until well combined.

Sift the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and beat gently to combine. The dough will be very soft at this point.

Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and form into a flat disc.

Wrap well then chill until firm.

Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured bench to ½ cm thick. Cut out 5cm circles and place on a lined flat baking tray. 

Re-roll the scraps of dough and cut out more biscuits. Chill again until firm. You should get about 30 biscuits.

Bake for 10 minutes until lightly puffed and still a little soft. Transfer to a cooling rack. 

To assemble: Top half of the biscuits with a teaspoon of melted chocolate (if using) and use the back of the spoon to spread it right to the edges. Leave to set. 

Place a heaped tablespoon of dulce de leche on the remaining biscuits and use a small palette knife to spread evenly. Sandwich with the chocolate-coated biscuits. 

Store the Alfajores in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Makes about 15 double biscuits

Cook's Tip: Caramelized condensed milk available in stores isn’t thick enough to fill the alfajores.

Dulce de Leche: I love this easy, stress-free way of making dulce de leche, and I use the oven as I’m not keen on having tins boiling away on the stovetop for several hours.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.

Tip the condensed milk into the baking dish and cover tightly with foil.

Place in the roasting dish and add enough hot tap water to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

Bake for 2½ – 3 hours, adding extra water when needed to keep it at the same level. The caramel should be a dark golden colour and firm when you shake the baking dish. Uncover and cool, then cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.