Best Dulce de Leche Brownies Recipe

Spanish desserts provide a diverse and unique alternative to more repetitive dessert options like cookies and cakes.

Dulce de leche brownies have gained popularity in Spain due to their rich chocolate flavour combined with the creamy sweetness of dulce de leche.

This article provides a recipe along with tips for storing, serving, and customizing the brownies.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Chocolate Crema Catalana

• Spanish chocolate biscuit cake

• Spanish chocolate cake

Background of the Dish

Brownies might be an American classic, but they truly found their soulmate when they met Latin American flavors, specifically, the rich, golden magic of dulce de leche.

Over the last few decades, as Latin American immigrants arrived in Spain, they brought this heavenly pairing with them. 

It didn’t take long for dulce de leche brownies to move from family kitchens into local cafés and neighborhood bakeries.

Naturally, Spanish bakers put their own spin on things, swapping in rich Spanish dark chocolate, tossing in local nuts, or serving up a warm square alongside an afternoon cafecito. 

Today, they share a space in Spain’s pastry scene with Dulce de leche palmiers, tarta de chocolate, dulce de leche cupcakes, and more.

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Things You’ll Need for Dulce de Leche Brownies

To prepare the dulce de leche brownies, you will need all-purpose flour, white sugar, two eggs, butter, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, and dulce de leche.

Similar to the Spanish chocolate biscuit cake, no special equipment is required other than a square pan or baking tray.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (115gr) Unsalted butter
• 200g Dark chocolate
• 3/4 cup (150gr) White sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (95gr) All-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp (15gr) Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 cup (300gr) Dulce de leche 
• 1/2 cup (60gr) Chopped walnuts or chocolate chips (optional)

How to Make Dulce de Leche Brownies – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step, melt the butter together with the dark chocolate. You can do this in the microwave in short intervals or using a double boiler. Stir until you get a smooth and shiny mixture.

2. After that, add the sugar and mix well. Then add the eggs one by one together with the vanilla extract. 

3. Now, continue mixing the dulce de leche brownie batter until everything is fully incorporated.  As a tip, during this recipe, avoid overmixing so the brownies stay fudgy.

4. Then, sift the flour together with the cocoa powder and the pinch of salt. Add the dry ingredients little by little to the chocolate mixture and stir gently until combined.

5. As an optional step, add chopped walnuts or chocolate chips and mix them into the batter. They will provide a crunchy texture to the caramel swirl brownies.

6. After that, grease or line the baking tray or square pan. Pour the brownie batter into the pan and spread it evenly.

7. Also, add spoonfuls of dulce de leche on top of the batter. Then use a knife or toothpick to create swirls across the surface. This will improve the presentation of the brownie, but feel free to skip if preferred.

8. Now, place the dulce de leche brownies in the oven preheated to 180ºC (350ºF). Bake for about 25-30 minutes. The center should still look slightly soft so the brownies remain moist and fudgy.

9. Finally, remove from the oven and let the dulce de leche brownies cool before cutting them into squares. For an even better texture, refrigerate them for a couple of hours before serving.

Substitution of Ingredients

We truly believe this is one of the best dulce de leche brownie recipes because it isn’t difficult to prepare, and it also allows you to make changes to the ingredients if desired.

For example, dulce de leche is usually gluten-free, so if you also use GF flour and make sure the other ingredients follow suit, you will have some delicious gluten-free brownies (just be sure to double-check all the tags).

We recommend using dark or semi-sweet chocolate since the dulce de leche already adds plenty of sweetness. 

Milk chocolate can work too, but the brownies may turn out much sweeter.

You can also customize the flavor profile of the dulce de leche brownies. 

For an even more intense chocolate flavor, add an extra tablespoon of cocoa powder or mix in chunks of dark chocolate before baking.

Do you have more dulce de leche in your pantry?

Then, you must try some of our favorite sweet recipes like the dulce de leche flan, dulce de leche cheesecake, and dulce de leche layer cake.

Tips on Serving Dulce de Leche Brownies

Once you finish preparing the easy dulce de leche brownies recipe, you will have a wonderful dessert or sweet treat ready to be served.

You can do the same as with the Spanish apple cake, and top the dulce de leche brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. 

The cold and creamy texture pairs perfectly, especially if the brownies are warm.

In case you forgot to add the chopped nuts to the mixture of the gooey brownies with dulce de leche, you can still top the dessert with them.

To balance the sweetness, serve the dulce de leche chocolate dessert with a cup of tea, coffee, or coffee with milk.

If you have a celebration, then you can prepare a sweet spread including other Andalusian desserts like the tarta de Santiago, Spanish orange cake, and Cordoba cake.

How to Store Dulce de Leche Brownies

Something that we love about the Spanish chocolate brownies with dulce de leche is that you can store them in the fridge or freezer, and enjoy them later.

For that, you have to let the dulce de leche and chocolate brownies with caramel swirl come to room temperature, then place them in a covered airtight container.

After that, take it to the fridge (where it can last up to 5 days), or freeze it for 2 months. Before serving, reheat them in the oven and enjoy.

If you aren’t planning to serve it at a party, you can cut the dulce de leche brownie into portions and wrap them individually with plastic wrap: that way, you only have to thaw or reheat the number of portions you want.

Want to try more Spanish desserts?

There are other classics you can prepare and store, like the Spanish sponge cake, Spanish caramel cake, and the Spanish milk cake.

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