Dulce de Leche Brownies

Bastardized from... um, I mean inspired by David Lebovitz's Dulce de Leche Brownie recipe and Cooking for Engineer's brownie recipe

• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 6 oz butter, unsalted (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 c sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 c flour
• 1 c dulce de leche

Preheat oven to 325F and butter and flour/cocoa an 8x8 brownie pan.

Beat eggs and vanilla together. Set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate slowly in a double boiler. Once the butter and chocolate have melted together and are mixed together nicely, take off the heat. Mix in the sugar and then the egg mixture. Once that has been full mixed and incorporated, fold in the flour to form a thick batter.

Spoon 1/2 of the brownie batter in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon half the dulce de leche in blobs onto the brownie batter. Swirl with a skewer or knife. Spoon the rest of the brownie batter and repeat the process with spooning the dulce and swirling with a knife.

Bake for 35 ~ 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with fudgy crumbs. Cool on a wire rack completely before cutting into 2x2 squares.

Makes 16 brownies

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The original Cooking for Engineers brownie recipe called for 1.5 c of sugar which I reduced to 1 c. I thought that the dulce de leche would add enough sweetness to the batter and I was right. The still slightly bitter dark chocolate is well offset by the dulce de leche. Any more sugar and it would have been far too sweet.

My dulce de leche had been made ahead of time and I had taken it from the refrigerator. As I suspected, it was pretty blobbish and unspreadable. That was easily rectified by warming gently in a double boiler. I also thinned it out with just a splash of milk which made it easy to make it the same consistency as the batter.

I love the dual layer of dulce de leche in the brownies from the two swirled layers. It's nice to have dulce de leche both in the middle of the brownie and the top of the brownie. But I think I will make it in an 11 x 13 pan next time. Although I like the 2x2 size of the the brownies, they are much too thick for me and I think it would be better if they were thinner and larger (closer to 3x3) to really showcase the dulce de leche.

This is brownie is really rich and really needs milk to help offset its decadence. Oh and it's even better the second day. If they last that long ;) If you refrigerate your brownies to prolong the love, make sure to let it sit out at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving. It tastes much better at room temperature.

Better than Garlic Bread Focaccia

Adapted by Michelle from here


Even if it's not very traditional, I assure you that it's delicious. My rendition has dried herbs and chopped garlic in the dough and is topped with a savory crust of cheese and garlic salt. This is better than most garlic breads I've ever had and is delicious with soup. It would also make an excellent sandwich bread if baked in an 8x8 pan, cut into 4x4 pieces and split.

Ingredients

Yeast Proofing

• 1/2 c. warm water (100F ~ 110F)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 packet dry active yeast (not instant)

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 c. water
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Dry Ingredients

• 2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp. dried basil
• 1 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Topping

• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• Olive oil

Proofing the yeast:
In your work bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water and sprinkle your dry yeast over it. Mix well and let sit for 10 ~ 15 minutes. If the mixture is frothy and smells yeasty, congratulations! Your yeast is alive and ready for the next step!

Mix together your dry ingredients in a separate work bowl.

Making the dough:
Add your wet ingredients into the yeast mixture: the water, garlic and olive oil. Begin to incorporate your dry ingredients.

If you're using a stand mixer, mix in about 1 cup of the dry ingredients at low speed. You could use your paddle attachment but keep in mind you're going to have to switch to a hook for the dough kneading anyhow. Once the first cup or so is well incorporated, continue to add about 1/4 c. of the dry ingredients at a time until the dough comes together into a ball. Once the dough comes together, knead using the dough hook for about 3 to 4 minutes until smooth and elastic. Once this has been achieved, form the dough into a ball and place in a greased work bowl (your mixer bowl works fine), cover and set in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

If you're doing this by hand, use a wooden spoon to mix in 1 cup of the dry ingredients to form a wet batter. After it forms a batter, gradually add the rest of the dry ingredients in 1/4 c. additions. It will get increasingly difficult as you reach the end. Once it forms a dough that can hold together, knead on a floured board until smooth and elastic. (And/or until your arms fall off, whichever comes first.) Form the kneaded dough into a ball and placed into a greased work bowl. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

Forming and proofing the dough:

Place an empty pan in the lowest rack of your COLD OVEN. Do not turn the oven on. You will proof the bread in a warm, moist environment provided by the boiling water. In the meantime, boil water.

Grease an 8x8 or 11x13 pan.

After the dough has risen, turn the risen dough out into the greased baking pan of your choice. There's no need to punch it down because you will punch it down as you form it to the pan. If it very elastic and doesn't want to get into the corners, don't worry. It will rise a second time.

Place your formed dough on the higher rack in your COLD oven. Fill the pan below it with boiling water. Close the oven and let your bread proof in this environment for 30 minutes.

Topping and baking the bread:

After 30 minutes, remove the bread pan from your oven. Discard your pan of hot water; you no longer need it. Preheat the oven to 450F.

Dimple the top of your dough lightly with your fingers. sprinkle the top evenly with the grated cheese and garlic salt. Drizzle the top of the dough with olive oil.

Bake the foccacia for 15 minutes at 450F. Remove from oven when golden brown and delicious. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy.