Dulce de Leche Brownies

Ingredients

2/3 cup dutch process cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread flour I use King Arthur Flour Unbleached Bread Flour or use all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla
about a 1/2 cup or so of dulce de leche I used Nestle La Lechera

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a 9" or 8" square baking pan. I like to line the pan with foil and then spray, so that I can completely lift the brownies out for cutting.
Whisk cocoa, sugars, salt, flour, baking powder, espresso powder and chips in a large bowl.
Add the eggs, oil, water and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Spread a little more than half of the batter into the prepared pan.
Warm dulce de leche for a few seconds in the microwave. You don't want it to be hot, just a little more fluid.
Drop spoonfuls of dulce de leche over the brownie batter. Swirl slighty with the tip of a knife, making sure not to over swirl. You want to leave pools of dulce de leche in the batter. Drizzle more dulce de leche in the empty spaces.
Spoon, then carefully spread, the remaining brownie batter over the swirls of dulce de leche. You want to be careful not to disturb your first layer of swirls too much. Drizzle remaining dulce de leche over the top. (Or, heat a few more spoonfuls up, if you've used all of it in the first layer.)
Bake for about 35 minutes for the 9" pan and about 45 minutes for the 8" pan. Allow to cool for one hour before cutting. I also like to refrigerate them after they're cool for the cleanest cuts.

Recipe Notes

* Brownies keep for at least three days in an airtight container at room temperature. They always taste the best on the second day. They also freeze well.

*Adding the chips with the dry ingredients helps keep the chips from sinking to the bottom. I used 1/2 semi-sweet and 1/2 bittersweet chips for a deeper flavor.

*I'm not giving exact measurements for the dulce de leche. I used approximately a heaping half cup. You'll have left overs from your can. Use it to top ice cream, waffles or pancakes, spread on cookies etc.

*You can substitute your favorite unsweetened cocoa in this recipe, but this particular cocoa is what makes this brownie my favorite. Expect that other cocoas will alter the taste. Using an unsweetened cocoa instead of dutched may leave you with a bit of an acidic taste. It will still be good, but it will be different.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour