Dulce de Leche Bownies

Many moons ago, I spotted this amazing looking recipe on my friend David's little blog, honestly speaking he doesn't know me but I know him very well, by reading through his entire blog! Yeah something came over me one day, I just sat down and started reading away. Ever since I read about this amazing looking Dulce de Leche  Brownies (aka DLB) of his and upon seeing how many people in different parts of the world have tried it and said that it tasted awesome. I just knew I have to find out what they are raving about. 


One thing that is blocking my way from having this amazing looking brownie is the dreaded Dulce de Leche. It's kind of like a caramel in color but its not caramel, it's actually a slow cooked milk that thickens and get super sticky as it cooks. You will know that its ready when it has this rich amber color but not burnt. Sounds easy right? Well its not, it took me four times to get this right. I tried the submerging the whole can in water and boil away for 2 hours or so, mine turn out an utter failure. I even tried the pressure cooker method but to no avail, each can I opened were under cooked. The big problem with these methods is the fact that you cannot see the inside of the can so you have no idea whether or not the milk has cooked enough. Soupy dulce de leche is no fun to use. I tired making into DLB, well...let me tell you in advance, that its not a pretty sight

The day before my little nephew was born, I finally managed to make a Dulce de Leche that looks yummy and looks just about the right consistency. Finally! The brownie recipe itself is an easy dump in one bowl kind of recipe and the sticky dulce de leche is then dalloped all over the batter. You can put as many or as little as you want, however keep in mind the the dulce de leche is not touching the baking pan or else it might burn and ruin your pan.
DULCE DE LECHE BROWNIES
  • 8 tablespoons (115g) salted or 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 cup (140g) flour
  • optional: 1 cup (100 g) toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup Dulce de Leche (or Cajeta)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C).
  2. Line a 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. If it doesn’t reach all the way up and over all four sides, cross another sheet of foil over it, making a large cross with edges that overhang the sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with a bit of butter or non-stick spray.
  3. 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, vanilla, then the flour. Mix in the nuts, if using.
  4. Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Here comes the fun part.
  5. Drop one-third of the Dulce de Leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter, then drag a knife through to swirl it slightly. 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.
  6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
  7. Storage: These brownies actually become better the second day, and will keep well for up to 3 days.

nikcreate

I'm a nine to five pencil pusher who loves to play with flour and paper during my free time. Dreams of going to Europe and eat croissants and make pastries all day long!

3 comments:

  1. i love love dulce de leche. it looks so fantastic with these brownies!

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  2. The brownies look wonderful.

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  3. Oh my! These just look divine!!! Dulce de leche is one of the tastes of my childhood (both my great grandmother and grandmother made it)...I have yet to attempt it myself. I commend your perseverance! And now you have these awesome brownies to show for it :)

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