Dulce de Leche Brownies

Hello, nice to meet you, my name is Dulce de Leche Brownie and I am everything that is good in the world. My luscious caramel center provides a nice contrast to my cakey fudgey hybrid cocoa exterior. I’m deep and dark and brooding, full of depth and elaborate taste bud puzzles. I’ll leave you wanting more.

Yeah, I’m that brownie.

Required before/ during consuming me:

-ice cold cup of milk and/or nice hot cup of coffee

-yearning to be swept off of feet

-willingness to succumb to cravings for a second / third / fourth

-smile / desire to smile

Needless to say, these brownies are superb. A nice twist on an overdone, but timeless, classic. Welcome them into your life.. it’s a good choice. There is a good chance you’re still unsure of what exactly Dulce de Leche is- it’s caramel made from slowly cooked sweetened milk, instead of just sugar and butter. It  comes from Latin America, and is possibly my favorite ingredient to cook with. In France, it’s Confiture de Lait. In Norway, it’s Hamar pålegg. In brownies, it’s genius.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

Adapted from David Lebovitz

8 tablespoons (115g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

3 large eggs

1 cup (200g) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (140g) flour

1 cup Dulce de Leche  (store bought or homemade)

*I thought these lacked some instant espresso powder… but that’s just me. Next time, I’d add in a teaspoon or two into the melting chocolate. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C).

Line a 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with a bit of butter or non-stick spray.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces and stir constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar and vanilla. Stir in the salt and flour until just incorporated. Don’t over mix at this stage, or the brownies will be tough.

Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan.
Drop decent sized blobs of  Dulce de Leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter. Spread the remaining brownie batter over, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining Dulce de Leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the Dulce de Leche slightly.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

They’re better the second day… but good luck getting them to last that long.

Things from other countries usually taste better. Fact. 

Jordana