Salted Dulce de Leche Brownies Recipe

By
Nila Jones
Nila Jones is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Nila Jones
Nila Jones is a gutsy home baker-turned-blogger who secretly prefers cake batter over cake and who has made it her personal goal to demystify so-called difficult recipes so that everyone, even the most ignorant novice baker, can bake like a master baker. She ran her blog, The Tough Cookie, from 2013-2017.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated April 15, 2020
20150121-salted-dulce-de-leche-brownies-nila-jones-8.jpg
Photographs: Nila Jones [Photograph: Nila Jones

These rich, super fudgy brownies are topped with generous dollops of homemade dulce de leche and a generous sprinkle of sea salt. The thick layer of dulce de leche has the same fudgy texture as the brownie underneath, and the salt wakes the whole thing up. Consider yourself warned, because you're gonna want to make these every day.

Why this recipe works:

  • Besides granulated sugar, this recipe also calls for a fair amount of light brown sugar and corn syrup: The corn syrup makes the brownies super fudgy, while the light brown sugar intensifies the chocolate flavor.
  • By creaming the butter with sugar (which is not traditional for a fudgy brownie recipe) we guarantee that the dulce de leche stays on top as the brownies bake, and still get a fudgy texture at the end.

Recipe Details

Salted Dulce de Leche Brownies Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 60 mins
Serves 15 to 18 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces; 285g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing

  • 1 cup (about 7 ounces; 200g) granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons (about 5 ounces; 140g) packed light brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup (about 2 ounces; 60g) corn syrup

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (about 4 1/2 ounces; 125g) all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup (about 4 1/2 ounces; 125g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt

  • 1 cup (about 8 ounces; 225g) homemade or store-bought dulce de leche

  • Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10- by 6-inch brownie pan and line the bottom and long sides of the pan with parchment paper.

  2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars, corn syrup, and vanilla and mix until incorporated. At eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until incorporated.

  3. In a small bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, and table salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, and, using a rubber spatula, fold until mostly incorporated. Beat batter with electric mixer until smooth, about 30 seconds.

  4. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Dollop spoonfuls of dulce de leche onto the batter, using a knife to swirl gently to partially mix the two together (be careful to keep the dulce de leche on top as you swirl).

  5. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with sea salt. Retun to oven and bake until the edge is set but the center is still a bit soft, about 20 minutes. Let the brownies cool at room temperature in the pan, then cut and serve.

Special equipment

electric mixer, 10- by 6-inch brownie pan

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
305Calories
16gFat
38gCarbs
5gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 15 to 18
Amount per serving
Calories305
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g20%
Saturated Fat 9g45%
Cholesterol 79mg26%
Sodium 164mg7%
Total Carbohydrate 38g14%
Dietary Fiber 2g6%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg2%
Calcium 50mg4%
Iron 3mg17%
Potassium 81mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes