dulce de leche brownies

remember the dulce de leche i made a couple weeks ago in my slow cooker? it's sole purpose was to end up in these brownies. a couple months after i started this blog, my cousin steve started his own blog dedicated to food. whereas i tend to steer clear of relatively complicated recipes most of the time, steve almost revels in them. he kicked off his blog with his own version of the alton brown smoker, a smoker built from terra cotta pots, a hot plate, and grill grate. but it doesn't stop there - there's strawberry rhubarb pie and italian style pizza. but what really gets me is his mexican - frijoles refritos and arroz a la mexicana & pork chile verde enchiladas - and these brownies.

these brownies are perfectly chocolatey, gooey, and rich. the sweetness of the dulce de leche is perfect with the not too sweet brownies. definitely a great combination.

which brings me to my next dilemma: what to do with the cup of dulce de leche i have left??
 
dulce de leche brownies
adapted from david lebovitz
1 hour, serves 9

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup dulce de leche

1. preheat your oven to 350F. line an eight inch square pan with aluminum foil, and make a foil sling, ensuring the ends hang over the sides, so the brownies can be lifted out of the pan. grease the foil with non stick spray and set aside.
2. melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and add the chocolate. stir frequently until the chocolate is melted. remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. add the eggs one at a time, then the sugar, vanilla, and flour, mixing after each addition.
3. put about half of the brownie batter into the pan. using about half of the dulce de lech, drop spoonfuls of dulce de leche in the brownie batter. drag a knife through the batter to make dulce de leche swirls. top with the remaining brownie batter, the rest of the dulce de leche, and swirl again. 
4. bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center is firm. cool completely in the pan. use the foil sling to pull the brownies out of the pan and slice to serve.