Dulce de Leche Brownies

I've been wanting to make David Lebovitz's Dulce de Leche brownies forever, and finally did last Sunday!  My choice to make them was speeded up by needing to use up some Dulce de Leche in my pantry that needed using.  These were as good as the Dulce de Leche blondies I made recently, just in a different way.  These were so delicious and gooey warm out of the oven, and after being in the fridge overnight, turned all fudgy and the Dulce de Leche solidified.  I loved how you can still see big pockets of Dulce de Leche in the baked product.  The kids all loved these too- and for some reason, they weren't crazy about the Blondies.  Oh well!  You never know with those crazy kids.

I did add walnuts and would not leave them out- I think having nuts helps cut the sweetness in a brownie like this.  I also used semisweet instead of bittersweet chocolate.

Warm from the oven.

Dulce de Leche Brownies
from David Lebovitz

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

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 30 to 45 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Storage:These brownies actually become better the second day, and will keep well for up to 3 days.

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