You had me at Dulce . . .

I don’t know about you, but I am a recipe hoarder collector and all it takes is one word or ingredient or a pretty picture and I’m a goner. The recipe is torn and thrown into a pile of papers, receipts, wrappers,etc.  neatly cut out of the package or magazine page and filed appropriately.  I found the inspiration for this recipe on the inside of a Challenge Butter package and all it took? The words “Dulce” and “Brownies”.  Really, it probably would have just taken “Brownies” but the “Dulce” made me look twice.  Made it today in honor of the Superbowl and it was so worth it.  Chocolately, caramel, gooey-goodness. 

Mmmmmm. Want some?  I bet you do!

Here’s the recipe:

Quick Dulce de Leche

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 Tablespoon corn syrup

2 Tablespoons butter (I used salted)

Combine the sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup in a large microwave-safe bowl (needs to be large because it does bubble up-trust me.) Microwave 1-2 minutes at a time, stopping and stirring, for a total of 10-12 minutes depending on the power of your microwave.  The bowl and mixture will be HOT, so be careful. The mixture should look thick, caramel-colored, and a little curdled (this smooths out with stirring). Watch it carefully and do not overcook to solid form (like I did the first time).  Whisk in the butter and set aside.

Outrageous Brownies

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 1/3  cup flour

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Make a foil sling by lining a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil so that the extra foil is hanging over the edges of the pan. Coat lightly with baking spray.

Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave, stopping and stirring every minute until smooth.  Stir in the espresso powder. Set aside and let mixture cool.

Whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl until combined.  Whisk in melted chocolate/espresso mixture until smooth.  Stir in flour until completely incorporated. Mixture will be thick and fudgy.

Assembly

Spread about 2/3 of the brownie mixture in the prepared pan. Drop spoonfuls of the Dulce de Leche evenly over this layer and spread slightly.  Cover with spoonfuls of the remaining brownie mixture and spread slightly.  Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans evenly over the top.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. This takes about 2 hours at room temperature or you can pop them in the fridge to speed the process.  Remove brownies from pan using foil sling and cut into squares.

Source: 

Inspired by recipe from Challenge Butter and America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook Bake-Sale Brownies.

Let me know what recipe you’ve seen lately that made you weak in the knees.