Dulce de Leche Brownies

I just finished reading The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz. While expounding on the inconveniences and curiosities associated with Parisian living, he also describes the wonders that are the chocolates, cheeses, and breads to be found in that city. I have to question his assertion that there's not a decent cup of espresso served anywhere in Paris, but I’m sure he’s checked every viable option. I reached the end of the book too soon, wanted to read more stories about the real Paris, but also couldn’t wait to get cooking. I started with the last recipe in the book which is dulce de leche brownies. Lebovitz used these brownies as bargaining chips and gained friends quickly with these in tow. They’re easy to make, and with dulce de leche involved, I couldn’t resist.

Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate is recommended, and I used a bittersweet Callebaut. That was melted with butter in a saucepan over low heat. Cocoa powder was whisked into that mixture, and then three eggs were incorporated one at a time. Sugar, vanilla, and flour were added, and I included the optional toasted, chopped pecans as well. Half the batter was placed in the baking pan, and then one third of the suggested quantity of dulce de leche was plopped on top. It was swirled into the batter, topped with more batter, and more dulce de leche was spooned on top and swirled. I can’t be sure that I used the correct amount of dulce de leche. It’s entirely possible that I used a little extra and then set about greedily swiping what remained in the jar into my mouth. You’re instructed to only slightly swirl the dulce de leche into the batter to avoid it baking into a bubbly mess. I don’t know if I achieved perfection in swirlation, but the resulting brownies did not seem bubbly or messy.

Despite the fact that these brownies included dulce de leche and pecans which are two of my favorite things, I really baked them for Kurt. He liked them when they were first cut, but true to form, he was even happier with them after they had been chilled in the refrigerator. I usually disagree with this cold cookie and dessert bar preference of his, but I have to admit these brownies were great either way. Even chilled, the dulce de leche was luscious as ever, the chocolate was rich-tasting, and I’m not even a brownie fan.