Dulce De Leche Swirl Hunks

Homemade dulce de leche seems to be such an "in" thing now among the bloggers. So how can I not try it out myself! Especially since I am so curious how it taste and seeing the fellow bloggers' delicious posts. :) What started me off was Quinn's lovely dulce de leche. :) Hers was so thick and silky with a nice caramel color. After reading her post, I went straight to my kitchen and immediately boil my can of condensed milk, which took me 3hrs++ to complete. When I got it out of the water, it was already 12 midnight, but I am happy...sleepy and happy, lol! :) Thanks Quinn for the inspiration....although mine sure didn't look just as good as yours...mmmm. ;P This is what I have after that long wait, this thick, gooey, sweet and pudding-like custard. :) Who knew boiling a can of condense milk can yield this good stuff?

It took me awhile to put this yummy stuff into good use. I had to scan through several recipes in order to settle with one that I like best. I decided on Dulce De Leche Swirl Hunks...which can also be called Caramel Swirl Brownies. Funny how "Hunk" almost sound like some macho-chunky looking guy, lol! :D But there a quote in the recipe book that goes like this "These manly-sized" squares are beefed up with chocolate chunks and pools of dulce de leche." Pretty good reason why they have this name I guess. :)

Again got this recipe from "A Passion for Baking" by Marcy Goldman. What actually got me to use this recipe was the use of roll oats in it...a bit of goodness in every bite, not all that sinful, lol! :D Recipe? Here it is:

Ingredients for Dulce De Leche Swirl Hunks:
2 cups unsalted butter, melted
3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
4 large eggs
4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup quick cook oats
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
150g semisweet chocolate bar, roughly chopped
1 can dulce de leche

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and generously grease a 13x9"pan and line with parchment.

• In a large mixing bowl, blend butter and both sugars together. Add eggs, vanilla, and oats and mix well.
• Fold in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. then fold in chocolate chunks.
• Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Top it with dollops of dulce de leche and then swirl it into the batter.
• Bake the cake for about 35 to 38 minutes or till the brownies seems brown around the edges and not jiggly in the center. If it is still wobbly in the center, reduce the temperature to 170°C and and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once done, remove from oven and let cool on rack completely. Best chill in fridge for at least 1 hr before slicing.
  

Here is a shot of a nice generous dollop of Dulce De Leche in the brownie...yummy! I did reduce the sugar for this recipe from 3 cups to 2 & 1/4 cups of brown sugar, knowing that the dulce de leche will contribute to the overall sweetness of the cake. Furthermore, I omitted the chilling step since I like the warm gooey texture of the brownie. :)

I enjoy that extra chewy texture which the rolled oats contributed to the brownie...not your usual kind of brownie. ;) I also want to say that chocolate with Dulce De Leche....a double thumbs up! But be sure to use dark chocolate ( I used 70% cocoa Lindt), so it won't be too sweet and the cocoa taste can stand out better. :) This recipe is indeed a great one to curb your sweet tooth but also with a bit of goodness in it (oats). Perhaps the next time I make this I will make it into a chocolate brownie...a double chocolate brownie that is; and of course not forgetting our star, Dulce De Leche. ;) Cheers all and have a sweet sweet weekend!