dulce de leche cookie sandwiches (alfajor)

Makes 
16-18
Ingredients 

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling the dough
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened
1 cup dulce de leche, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch grated nutmeg

instructions
1 
Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2 
Place the flour, confectioner’s sugar, salt, and butter in a medium bowl and work the ingredients together using your fingers or a pastry blender. If the dough is too sticky add a little more flour so that you can shape the soft dough into a disc. Wrap the dough disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 to 20 minutes.
3 
Sprinkle some flour onto your work surface and roll the dough 1/8-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Using a thin spatula, transfer the rounds to your baking sheet. Bring the dough scraps together and gently press into a ball. Flour your work surface, re-roll 1/8-inch thick, and cut out more rounds.
4 
Bake the cookies until they are golden and firm, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the cookies and let them cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
5 
Place the dulce de leche in a small bowl and stir in the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the dulce de leche on the flat side of a cookie and sandwich with the flat side of a second cookie. Place the cookies on a platter, dust them with powdered sugar, and serve.