As November comes to a close, so too does my time commuting to Boston. This is my last week of work at the firm, and while I’ve enjoyed seeing my old friends again, I’m excited to once again have more time (and energy!) to devote to this blog. With all of the holiday baking plans I have in store, the timing couldn’t be more perfect! Plus, I know Shane will be glad for me to resume my chef duties at home; he’s done a great job getting dinner on the table every night and I’m fortunate he stepped up to help out. If you’d asked me a few months ago if I’d like to have someone cook dinner for me every night of the week I’d have said yes without hesitation, but I’ve actually missed it quite a bit. Ahhh, perspective…
As part of last weekend’s baking marathon, I finally got a chance to make these dulce de leche brownies that I’ve been eyeing for months. Some leftover dulce de leche in my fridge from the cupcakes I made recently gave me just the excuse I needed to stop procrastinating and whip these up. The batter is made entirely in one saucepan and literally takes, at most, about 10 minutes to put together, so now I feel a bit silly that I waited so long. I urge you to get in your kitchen and make them asap – just look at that rich, dense brownie and the gooey dulce de leche swirl! These are intense – the texture reminded me of fudge more than any brownie I’ve ever made, so a tiny piece will totally satisfy you. I sent them to work with Shane on Monday and later that afternoon he forwarded me an email from his coworker which said (in part): “there are no words to explain how ridiculously BOMB that brownie is.” If that doesn’t convince you to give these a try, I’m pretty sure nothing I can say will either 🙂
Dulce de Leche Brownies
from David Lebovitz
{I used store-bought dulce de leche, but if you want to make your own, here’s one method. Also, if you go the store-bought route, I recommend warming the dulce de leche in a small saucepan over low heat while you make the brownie batter – it’ll loosen it up just enough to make it easier to swirl.}
8 tablespoons (115g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
6 oz (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
1 cup dulce de leche
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to lift the brownies out after they’ve baked. Spray the pan/foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Add the butter to a medium saucepan and set over low heat. Melt the butter, stirring occasionally. Add the chocolate and continue cooking over low, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Turn off the heat under the pan and whisk in the cocoa powder. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the sugar and vanilla and, finally, the flour. The batter will be very thick.
Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan and spread in an even layer. Dollop about one third of the dulce de leche over the batter and use a thin knife to swirl the two together (just a few times). Spread the remaining brownie batter in the pan, then dollop the remaining dulce de leche on top and again use a thin knife to swirl the them together.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the brownies feel just slightly firm on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the brownies cool completely before removing and cutting into squares.
I love the dulce de leche swirl!
Those are some glorious looking brownies. And yay for no more commuting and more baking!
Wowowoww, these look so good…
I wish I could drop my commute in favour of baking! Lucky girl!
they look amazing!
Those look absolutely amazing. How fun to have December just to putter around and cook and bake!
I always miss being away from the kitchen too! I think I’ve made these before? Your swirls are perfection!
I think I’m going to have to make this (again or for the first time!)
This is such a great recipe for brownies! I love the classic brownie, mint brownie…anything, really! Love this twist!
The Dulce de Leche swirls are irresistible…Thanks for the tip to make it easier to swirl. I am gonna use the store bought one, but I am thinking I can make my own for the next batch. Great recipe!
I made brownies last weekend and they were delicious! Too bad I didn’t think to put dulce de leche in them 😛 These look really yummy!
Look how moist they look! Amazing!
David Lebovitz sure does know a thing or two about chocolate, that’s for sure! This looks like a pan of heavenly goodness!
Well if they are BOMB, then I have to make them!! I was considering it anyway, but then it came with that endorsement!! I love a fudgy brownie!
Those are some beautiful brownies!
as you may have noticed, i can’t get enough of caramel lately so i can’t wait to try these!
yum, these look so great!! sad i missed out on making them with ya 😉 will def have to put my last can of sweetened condensed milk to use for these!!
holy moly these look…..fabulous! just what I like: caramel, thick, rich, dark…perfect.
May I ask which type of chocolate you used? Bittersweet or semi-sweet?
@Jessica – I used mostly bittersweet, though I did throw in some random scraps of milk chocolate I found in my pantry (probably 1 oz or less of the total 6 called for).
This sounds like an uber decadent treat. I love the fudgy look of the brownies. I’m sure it pairs perfectly with the carmelly sauce. I might need to add these to my holiday baking line up. I just bought a new 8 inch brownie pan that needs to be broken in.