The details
I am slightly embarrassed to say this, but Dulce de Leche is a new discovery for me. I’ve always been a caramel person, but I had some dulce as a filling in a wedding cake recently and it was immediately love. I was that girl running around the wedding talking about how good the cake was (sorry, Jack + Kate!). Anyways, there are many things I love about dulce but one of them is it is SO easy make. Another is that it reminds me of some of the Tex-Mex desserts in Austin, TX where I grew up. Once you go dulce, you never go back. Put it on top of fudgy, chewy, and deeply chocolately brownies, and they all melt together and you get creamy-rich-fudgy-caramelized. These Dulce de Leche Brownies are to. die. for.
Process + Ingredient Notes
Dulce de Leche is Spanish for candy of milk. And how true it is! Dulce is essentially milky sugar that’s caramelized to perfection. You can make dulce de leche from scratch, but honestly the most traditional way to make it is to simmer a can of sweetened condensed milk in water, which works as a pressure cooker to brown up all that sugar. It takes a few hours and can definitely be done ahead of time, since as long as you don’t open the can it keeps at room temp for up to a month. It is so very very worth it. I like this site with detailed instructions about making dulce de leche (which are also explained in the recipe below).
For the brownies, it’s important that the sugar and eggs get beaten on high speed with the whisk attachment (or very vigorously by hand) until lightened in color and shiny. Everything else gets added and whisked after that, including butter & chocolate melted together. This brownie is double chocolate, since it gets it’s chocolate flavor from both cocoa powder and chocolate wafers. For the best chocolate flavor, I like to use high quality cocoa powder and good semi-sweet chocolate wafers. This way you’ll get a rich, creamy, and smooth brownie. When you add the dry ingredients, you need only mix until just combined. The batter is quite thick, so you’ll get a nice arm workout. You’re welcome!
After this, spread the thick batter in a prepared 8 inch square pan, dollop some amazing dulce, swirl to your heart’s desire, and bake her up. And there you have your dulce de leche brownies!!
Similar recipes
If dulce de leche sounds like your speed, I bet you’ll also love caramel like I do. I’ve got the Salted Vanilla Bean Caramel Recipe for you.
For an equally chocolatey, but healthy(ish) and more espresso-focused option, check out my Coconut Oil Espresso Brownies.
Bake to this music
Dulce de Leche Brownies
Creamy, caramelized dulce de leche meets rich, fudgy brownies. Dulce de leche brownies are melty perfection.
- Yield: 9–12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup neutral oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp milk
- flaked sea salt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Make your dulce de leche. Take your unopened can of sweetened condensed milk and peel off the label. Scrub away any leftover adhesive as best you can. Place unopened can in a large saucepan and fill with water to fully submerge the can and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Place the saucepan with water over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for approximately 3 hours. Remove can with tongs and allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack (about 3 hours). Unopened cans of dulce can keep for up to 1 month at room temp.
- Make your brownie batter. Combine granulated sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high for 5 minutes until light, fluffy, and shiny. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
- In a heat-proof bowl, microwave butter and chocolate chips in 30 second intervals until melted. Whisk together butter and chocolate and allow to cool for several minutes. With the mixer on medium, slowly stream the butter/chocolate liquid into the sugar/egg/vanilla mixture. The resulting liquid will be shiny, light brown, and smooth. Add oil to your batter and beat on high speed until completely emulsified and homogeneous.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and sifted cocoa powder. Using a spatula (no mixer), gently and slowly fold the dry ingredients into the brownie batter. Stop mixing once flour streaks disappear. Add milk and fold to combine. Spoon batter into a prepared 8-inch brownie pan, using a spatula to smooth the top.
- Dollop your dulce de leche (you’ll use half the can total) in 1 tbsp bits onto your brownie batter. Using a toothpick, swirl around the dulce to mingle with the batter.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the edges of the brownie are puffy and the middle isn’t quite set. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Brownies will continue to bake and set after they are removed from the oven.
- Enjoy! Store brownies in the fridge for 3-5 days, or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. These reheat well from frozen!
Notes
- You’ll only use half your dulce de leche in this recipe. Keep the other half of the can in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Spread it on cake layers, on toast, top ice cream with it. It can do anything!
- Invest in high quality cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate for best results. I like to use 60-70% cocoa chips.
- These can be made without a stand mixer (or even electric mixer). If a whisk attachment isn’t available to you, plan to whisk by hand vigorously during the initial steps (combining eggs and sugar).
- Neutral oil can be canola or grapeseed. I used grapseed.