Latin Flair – Dulce de Leche Brownies
By themselves, there is nothing Latin about brownies. Many consider them quintessentially American. But add some dulce de leche to the mix and all that changes. And while it’s pretty safe to bet that you won’t find dulce de leche brownies in most Latin countries, you will definitely find them at my house because they are quintessentially ME – Latina Americana.
These brownies are a reflection my life as a Dominicana born and raised in New York City. It wasn’t until I entered high school and ventured out of the predominantly Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights that I started to feel caught between two worlds, where Spanish was spoken at home and English everywhere else. And this was further exasperated when I started college – when I was the only Latina in most of my classes. As is the case with many teens, I longed to leave the Heights when I was done with high school. But once in college, I longed for merengue, novelas, platanos and Dominican cake.
With time, intermingling my two worlds became easier. Not only did I figure out how to balance but I realized that I didn’t have to be one or the other. I am wholeheartedly without a doubt just as much Americana as I am Dominicana and I wear my two cultures as a badge of honor.
And with that I give you these brownies – quintessentially American but with a Latin Flair that can’t be denied. They are not for the faint of heart, with dense, rich and utterly delicious chocolate flavor. I over-swirled mine a bit, so the dulce de leche flavor wasn’t as prominent as it could have been. (So don’t over swirl.) But it did beautifully perfume my mouth, which made this chica jump for joy.
Dulce de Leche Brownies
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 cup Dulce de Leche (or Cajeta; homemade or store-bought)Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 8-inch square pan with parchment paper leaving a 1-inch overhang on two sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with non-stick spray.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate chunks 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.
Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. 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.
Bake for 35 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.
Share
Daniela — August 11, 2011 @ 12:40 pm
These sound amazing, I can’t wait to try and bake them!
I’ve used cajeta in cupcakes and buttercream frosting before, but have never thought about using it in brownies. Such a great idea!
Rosa — August 11, 2011 @ 12:56 pm
Mmmhhh, surely divine!
Cheers,
Rosa
Nastassia (Let Me Eat Cake) — August 11, 2011 @ 2:44 pm
what isn’t made better with dulce de leche?! looks soo good!
carla — August 11, 2011 @ 3:37 pm
As an Argentine born, Bronx raised chica I know what u mean!!! & I LOOOOVE brownies & dulce de leche (an ingredient in EVERY Argentine dessert) but never thought of combining the two. I have made my fair share of Nutella brownies (addiction partial to my italian side!) that are also quite yummy.
I have a jar of dulce at home waiting to be used, this will be my next recipe
Thanks & keep up the good work, love your blog!
Amy — August 11, 2011 @ 4:26 pm
What Nastassia ^^^ said. Goodness. WANT.
naomi — August 11, 2011 @ 5:28 pm
I love that you proudly wear both badges! And the brownies look and sound deliciously insane!
Spike — August 11, 2011 @ 9:13 pm
I’ve made this recipe before and LOVED it! You have me wanting to make it again
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes — August 11, 2011 @ 11:47 pm
Looks like a perfect way to get both of the flavors that you love!
Marcella — August 12, 2011 @ 3:14 am
Can’t waiiiit to make these <333
shelly (cookies and cups) — August 12, 2011 @ 9:39 am
Love dulce de leche so much that I dream about it..that’s normal, right?!
Kim — August 12, 2011 @ 9:52 am
WOW. Those sound deliciously decadent!!!
Sanura @ MyLifeRunsOnFood.com — August 12, 2011 @ 11:51 am
It makes sense dulce de leche goes with brownies, because chocolate–the cocoa bean–is originally from Latin America! Extremely delicious!
Mirna — August 12, 2011 @ 12:43 pm
Yowzers! I’m totally making these! Thanks for sharing
Prerna@IndianSimmer — August 12, 2011 @ 4:57 pm
Dishing out sinful chocolate after chocolate recipes to a chocaholic who is also trying (kinda) to watch her waistline is just not fair
But honey that brownie looks GOOD! Maybe I’ll start dieting from next week!
The Duo Dishes-Chrystal — August 12, 2011 @ 5:08 pm
Who knew one had to fear over swirling these days. Our world is a dangerous one.
Delicious brownies!
Joanne — August 13, 2011 @ 6:44 am
I love that these are a blend of two delicious cultures…and two delicious foods. They seem utterly addictive..kind of like you.
Becki (Becki's Whole Life) — August 13, 2011 @ 7:06 am
These sound great. I love that you toasted the pecans, as well. I bet that combined with a chocolatey brownie and dulce de leche is wonderful – yum!
KarmaFreeCooking — August 13, 2011 @ 11:24 am
nice!!!! que rico!!!!
Kerstin — August 13, 2011 @ 12:02 pm
Dulce de Leche makes everything better and I also love that you added pecans – yum!
Cynthia — August 13, 2011 @ 4:43 pm
OMG chica…can we add these to the ‘next occassion’ desert treat!! Looks and sounds delish!
Jen @ Savory Simple — August 14, 2011 @ 12:22 am
These look absolutely heavenly! I love brownies and will definitely give these a try.
5 Star foodie — August 14, 2011 @ 2:07 pm
Wow, the brownies sound awesome with the addition of dulce de leche, nice!
Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets — August 15, 2011 @ 5:37 am
Love this combination — so yummy!
Yvette ~ Muy Bueno Cookbook — August 15, 2011 @ 4:22 pm
Be still my heart! I can’t wait to try this recipe. YUM!
Lauren from Lauren's Latest — August 15, 2011 @ 6:42 pm
These look so soft and chewy! Yum.
Angelica @ New Latina — August 16, 2011 @ 12:33 am
Yay! Another Dominicana that loves brownies! Love that “Dulce de Leche” twist! This is a great recipe. Definitely worth trying, even if I’m not a good baker
Hungry Sofia — August 17, 2011 @ 9:26 am
And you wear both well! These look delicious and love David Leibovitz!
Bren — August 17, 2011 @ 11:58 pm
yikes. me desmayo! quintessentially Latina for sure! I LooOOVE me some brownies and dulce de leche! que rico!
Mollie — August 23, 2011 @ 8:13 pm
I am SO excited to try these .Have you seen the recipe on Cupcake Project for how to make dulce de leche overnight in a crock pot? Now we keep it in the fridge all the time. My husband will freak if I make these
http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2010/03/dulce-de-leche-in-crock-pot.html
Carrie at TikiTikiBlog! — August 25, 2011 @ 1:24 pm
A blogger friend just sent me this link and I am in love.
You know, I am The Diva of Dulce Leche! LOL
I will be making these muy pronto!
Genius.
Patty — August 26, 2011 @ 3:56 pm
Oh yum. I just made these plus another dessert for a girls night. Don’t think I need the other dessert. Well maybe they might not be around for the party tonight. Thank you for an amazing recipe.
Ana L. Flores — August 30, 2011 @ 2:51 am
Now this is something I could make just to be able to say I baked it!! Wow! Que rico!!!
Lori @ RecipeGirl — August 31, 2011 @ 11:27 am
I’m gonna give these brownies a big, fat YUM!
Abby — September 3, 2011 @ 4:34 pm
I’ve made these, too. Utterly fabulous.