Friday, July 2, 2010

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!


21 comments:

WendyinKK said...

I made my 2nd can of DDL yesterday and am making some other stuff with it.
DDL is addictive (ever since I discovered it in March), the smell and taste is so so good.

Blessed Homemaker said...

I see alot of Dulce De Leche bakes recently! Yours look yummy.

DG said...

Healthy, sinful & lovely brownies you baked :) O oh my hands are getting itchy now, seeing so many good recommendation on DDL, I also want to taste it.
Have a nice weekend!

Angie's Recipes said...

Who can say NO to Dulce De Leche?! :-) The cake must taste heavenly!

ICook4Fun said...

Yea DDL is such an in thing now. You can see everyone is doing it. I am surprise that you didn't try it while you are in the US. You can get it in most latin stores and the sell the ones from Argentina and Mexico. Carlos grew up eating this so he is the one that introduce me to DDL. I am not a fan of it because I find it way toooooo sweet for me but he just love it. He can eat it straight out of the jar :)Yes your brownies do look very hunky and musculine. I am sure Carlos will love this. Thanks for sharing the recipe Bee.

ann low said...

WOW Bee Bee! This is amazing. I have not tried it out yet. My hand is itchy now, must get the condensed milk tomorrow 'DD

Quinn said...

Bee Bee, thanks for the shoutout! I don't know how the whole DDL started really. It was solely a girl's decision to make some one night when she got bored watching soccer match with her boyfriend and soon, I see them flooding the blogosphere, DDL this, DDL that and all! And come on....it's idiot-proof, if everyone do the same thing with their condensed milk, they'll all turn out equally good! If yours are not as good as mine, blame the condensed milk, not yourself!

Jeez...I love the description on that book! I so feel like munching on these manly-sized hunks! Yum yum!

Just a doubt though, I saw some pretty brown bits on top, when you swirl the DDL and bake it, did some part tasted like burnt bits?

Thanks again, for both the recipe and mention!

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Wendy, your DDL cake was really gorgeous! Looking forward to your next post on DLL. ;)

Thanks DG! Glad that I can inspire you a little...do try it out and let me know how you like it yah?

Hey Blessed Homemaker! Long time no see, how are you? Thanks for dropping by...hope to see some more post/news from you soon. ;)

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Thanks Angie! Yeah...DDL is irresistibly! this recipe is definitely good when one is craving for something sweet and chocolaty. ;)

Hey Gert,
Really? Geese, I am not so good at trying out other Ethnic group cuisine sometimes. I have only come in contact with it only while I was in Malaysia, hahaha! But yes, it is too sweet for me too, but blending it in some bakes is not that bad. Try it out and let me know how your husband likes it yah?

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Anncoo, I believe you can make a much lovelier cake than mine! I am already looking forward to your post. ;)

You are most welcome Quinn. No need to be humble, your DDL and cheesecake were beautiful. ;) Oh yes, I was worried that the cewnter part of the brownie was not cooked, so I baked it a little longer and thus those "charred" corners. :P But yes, love those masculine hunks, hahaha!

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

this is a recipe that I have book marked long time, but have yet to give a try, don't know why, hehehe..

Kitchen Corner said...

WOW.. you've tried out this Dulce De Leche! It's still in my to-do-list. Seems like I've no chance to make it recently. Hey.. the cake looks good. I bet the buttery flavor must goes well with a cup of tea. I wish to have it now :)

Chef Dennis Littley said...

OMG...those look so very very good! wow, brownies and dulce del leche, and did I hear oats too!
what an incredible dessert!!

Bakericious said...

Hi Bee Bee, this is definately looks so yummy, I am going to bake this next since I stil ve 2 cans of DDL :(. I jst baked a DLL brownie and finished within 1 day, yum yum too :P

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Hey Sonia, no worries lah, take your time. :) Do it when you have at least 3 hrs to spare to let the condense milk to slow boil. :) Hope you enjoy it. ;)

Thanks Grace. :) Do try out this DDL, it's like thick caramel. :) Where you stay, I send some over. :D

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Thanks for your compliments Chef Dennis. :)

Wow Jess, your family sure likes brownies! Yes, do try out this recipe since it has oats (which you can't really taste it). Let me know how you like it yah?

ReeseKitchen said...

Wooo..very new to me leh. Never try or eat before..heehee! But from my imagination, the brownies sure taste GOOD!

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Hi Reese,
Have not seen you around lately...busy with work? Anyway, thanks for dropping by. :) Yeah, these are yummy brownies...but unless you like real sweet stuff, DDL is probably not your cup of tea. :)

Pei-Lin said...

Bee Bee, it'd been a long time since I made dulce de leche! The method I used was the one I got from Lebovitz, making DDL in the oven instead ... in a pie dish. That was back in Minnesota. I wanted to make it for my macarons ... but, tak jadi lar ... Haha!

Yeap, DDL is only for the SUPER sweet-toothed. I can imagine how delish this dessert can be. Still can't tell if it's bar/cake. Either way, it's good!

Next time I see you, you better share with me your 7/4 story, the Calif. way! Haha!

Btw, planning on my SG trip. Will shoot all of you an email later. Wondering what's the best thing for me to bring down from KL to you guys. I'd happy to do so. Right now, I'm stuck with 2 questions: 1) Dunno when most Singaporeans are free for meeting up; 2) Dunno what you guys want the most from KL. I'm worried that you all gonna say to me, "Nothing!" Haha! Aiyo ... So hard to decide leh ...

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Hi Pei-lin,
I think if you want, try the double boil method for making the DDL. It's almost fool proof, so try it.
Hahaha...I actually just watch fireworks at a nearby theme park with my family on 7/4, nothing much. :)
Wah...organizing a blogger's gathering? Hope the turn out will be good. :) Seriously, don't bother to bring anything...just yourself should be good enough. :) It's the thought that counts.

Pei-Lin said...

Hey, I emailed you last night. Have you gotten it? Just wondering ... Do you happen to have Jess's (Bakericious) email address? If yes, forward it to me via email. Hope to hear from you soon.