Dulce De Leche Cookies

Whew! I'm on the uphill climb and I can't wait for Thursday evening. One album down, another one begun and I have a major project due Tuesday in my art ed class. THEN, on Thursday, I teach!!! It's kind of nice to get my week of teaching done early in the semester, but I still feel a bit unprepared and nervous. I have to make 70 people (60 of them children) listen to me all at once and get them to learn something. I want to teach, and it's very exiting, but this group is so big and so unruly. Last week someone taught them the color wheel. I spent two minutes at one end of my table (the 3rd graders), and by the time I got to the other end, those kids had painted their hands :). Thomas gave me some really great ideas and I just need to get my props together.
Speaking of Thomas, he gets really excited when the monthly issue of Martha Stewart comes in because the last page is the cookie of the month. This month's was especially delicious. He begged for a week or two before I had time to make them, but it was well worth the wait. I don't know how hard it is to find dulce de leche in other states, but this south it's in every grocery store.

Dulce de Leche Cookies
Makes 18
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dulce de leche

1. Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg, yolk, chocolate, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour.

2. On a lightly cloured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch think. Cut 36 rounds with a 2-inch cutter, and space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375. Bake until set, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool. Top half of the cookies with 1 heaping teaspoon dulce de leche and top with another cookie.