Last week I found myself having very intense chocolate cravings. I decided to bake my trusty Alton Brown brownies, but when I found a can of dulce de leche in the pantry I decided to jazz them up a bit. The resulting creation is a chewy, moist, and sweet brownie that only requires you to eat a small piece to feel satisfied. The addition of instant coffee makes the chocolate flavor even more intense.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 8 ounces melted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 cup cocoa
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee (the single serving coffee envelopes work great for this recipe)
- 1/4 cup dulce de leche
- 1 tablespoon milk chocolate morsels
- 1 tablespoon white chocolate morsels
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- milk or heavy cream
- pecan halves for garnish
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8″ square baking pan. Whip eggs and sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Gradually whisk in the melted butter and the vanilla extract. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cocoa, flour, kosher salt, and instant coffee. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Mix in the chopped pecans and the morsels. In a small bowl, combine the dulce de leche, the softened butter, and a splash of milk or heavy cream. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until the mixture resembles softened frosting. Place the brownie mixture in the baking pan, and slowly spread the dulce de leche mixture on top, as if you were frosting a cake. Decorate with the pecan halves. Bake the brownies for 40 – 50 minutes. Use the toothpick test to check for doneness, but be warned that these brownies are pretty chewy and the toothpick will never be 100% clean. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
