These dulce de leche brownies are so gooey and are the ultimate chocolate caramel treat.
I often refer to myself as “the brownie police” for I am rather fussy about what makes the perfect brownie. Some people like brownies with nuts although my preference is damp squidgy brownies without nuts.
So when I was in the presence of these dulce de leche brownies with caramel oozing out I knew they’d be up to my standards!
We were baking dulce de leche brownies (amongst other things) at the airy Cactus Kitchen in Clapham, south London – home to studios for BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and a cookery school run in partnership with BBC Masterchef judge Michel Roux*.
Our star tool for the evening was the new slimline Panasonic combi microwave oven*. It was the first time I’d cooked anything in a combi microwave oven and I was keen to see how it differed to cooking in an ordinary microwave.
And our star teacher for the evening was none other than Ballymaloe Cookery School’s Rachel Allen*. After she’d demoed the technique for the brownies she was on hand at every work station for a chat and giving us tips. Rachel taught me how to crush garlic with the blade of a large knife and I have to tell you it was so effective I felt myself warding off vampires for 24 hours afterwards.
Making dulce de leche brownies
Normally I would use a double boiler to melt my chocolate but Rachel’s recipe said to put it in the microwave together with the butter and cocoa powder. Microwaving chocolate has not been ideal in the past as hot spots burn quickly but it seems microwaving chocolate together with butter avoids this as the mass quickly liquifies. Nevertheless at home I covered the jug with pierced clingfilm and opted for 2 mins blast with 1 min standing time rather than 3 mins as in Rachel’s instructions. The brownie batter had dulce de leche swirled in it in large globs before being baked.
As you can see, after the dulce de leche brownies were baked, the caramel sauce is still oozing out nicely.
Here are Rachel’s on the night.
And here are mine made at home afterwards! I’ve added a sprinkling of cracked smoked sea salt by Falksalt* too.
You’ll find the recipe for these decadent dulce de leche brownies below but first let me show you what else we prepared in Panasonic’s combi microwave oven and their latest bread maker.
Focaccia bread dough was mixed in the bread maker and then finished off in the combi microwave oven. Here is the focaccia sliced up and topped with anti pasti style toppings.
These jacket potatoes with smoked salmon and chives were baked in the combi microwave oven giving them crispy skins and soft floury flesh. Obviously the type of potato you use makes a difference but honestly these were the most wonderful jacket potatoes I’d ever had and I’d never have believed they’d been done in a microwave if I’d not known.
And the piece de resistance. Roast beef in the combi microwave oven and salsa verde. Sunday roasts will never be the same again. A piece of beef was rubbed with olive oil and salt and pepper and put in the combi microwave on the “beef” setting for forty minutes. When the microwave went ping the beef smelled amazing with a brown crispy skin as impressive as any I’d seen done in a traditional oven. As you can see, the meat was done medium rare to perfection and was beautifully juicy.
It was hard to believe that everything had been made partly with a microwave! The combination function allowing you to part bake and part microwave adds flexibility to cooking and I can’t wait to try it out myself at home. Have you ever used a combi microwave oven?
- 175g good quality dark chocolate
- 175g butter cubed
- 25g good quality cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 large eggs
- 225g caster or soft light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g plain flour (or gluten free plain flour)
- ½ of a 397g tin of Carnation caramel or dulce de leche
- Pre heat the oven to 180ºC
- Place the chocolate, butter and cocoa powder in a microwavable dish and cook on HIGH MICROWAVE for 3 mins*. Remove from the oven and stir well, put to one side to cool.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs sugar and vanilla extract together for 2 mins until light and creamy.
- Add the chocolate mix and continue to whisk until well combined.
- Fold the flour through with a metal spoon.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Using a teaspoon add blobs of the caramel all over the surface of the brownies. Then using a sharp knife or skewer, run it around in swirls for a marbled effect.
- Bake in the oven for 25 mins. When cooked it should be dry on top but still slightly gooey and fudgy inside. Don’t be tempted to leave it in the oven any longer.
- Allow to cool in the tin, and then cut into squares.
More recipes using dulce de leche
If you liked these dulce de leche brownies then you might like these alternative recipes:
Food processor banana ice cream with dulce de leche by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours
Three ingredient caramel apple croissants by Emily at A Mummy Too
Caramel and biscuit cake by Michelle at Greedy Gourmet
Or these Dulce de leche cupcakes with Daim bar pieces here on Maison Cupcake:
And if you’re after more inspiration for great tray bake recipes follow me on Pinterest!
Follow Sarah | Maison Cupcake’s board Baking | Bars and traybakes on Pinterest.
*Affiliate links are used in this post. With thanks to Panasonic who are giving me one of their combi microwave ovens to review in a later post. Dulce de leche brownies recipe by Rachel Allen for Panasonic Ideas Kitchen reproduced with permission.
Wow Sarah these look amazing! I’m with you on the gooey-no-nut preference!
Of course I’d not turn a brownie with nuts down….
Oh my goodness, those look amazing!
Thank you Janice, I was very pleased they came out as good as Rachel’s!
Oh my these look heavenly! I don’t think I’d be able to stop at just one! Gorgeous! Looks like a fab event to attend too.
Thanks Elizabeth… I think the tactic to let yourself have more than one is to cut them up smaller!!
These look absolutely fantastic! Beautiful pictures as always!
Thanks Florian – pictures are so much easier in summer. If only I could achieve this in winter :-/
Sarah, that is amazing but soooo naughty! 🙂 I don’t think I would be able to resist those if I make them with my girls…
Thanks Margot, they are incredibly wicked. Especially if you cut them up when warm and the caramel oozes out.
Holy moly…!! Been looking out for this recipe ever since I saw them on your instagram! Glorious. Embarrassingly, I own a Neff/AEG combi microwave that came with our house and that I have NEVER USED! Part of the reason is that it is above a double oven, so about shoulder height for me and I am scared of taking hot things out and dropping them on myself. But seeing these foods (especially the beef) has me intrigued…
Ha ha I can top that – my mother in law still has her dishwasher interior covered in plastic and the brochure in there 20 years after moving into a brand new house. I guess sometimes we don’t feel comfortable with a gadget and am yet to be convinced it might change our lives!!
They look so tempting! I would love at least one 🙂
Just one? You’ll want another I promise 😉
These look absolutely gorgeous and interesting to see that they don’t use as much chocolate as many recipes so they’re more economical!
You and I should band together and have official brownie police t shirts made!! I don’t mind nuts but if it’s not squidgy then it’s just not a brownie! The number of cake sales and cafes I see selling cake as brownies, it makes me want to shed a tear!
I would love to go to Catcus Kitchens and these brownies look amazing!
My mum swears by her combi microwave, and i’ve always been a bit snooty about it. But reading your blog post has opened my mind a bit, as that sounds so useful!!! I do love my microwave, but thought it’d somehow be compromised by being a mulit-function gadget.
Those brownies really are worthy of some serious swooning… definitely one to try!
drooooling! I love this recipe. So pretty and so naughty.
Thank you – I did feel slightly naughty eating them too.
Anything with dulce de leche is good in my books! I’ve never used a combo oven before. Thanks for enlightening me. 🙂
I can’t wait to have a go with one at home 🙂
Looks like a really fun experience! I was at the Cactus Kitchen several months ago for an event with Rachel Allen & she really is lovely. We didn’t make these brownies though! They look absolutely amazing – I definitely need to give them a try!
Good heavens – they look divine! That kitchen also looks incredible – A real foodie heaven experience! Thanks so much for joining in with #Bakeoftheweek x
Thanks Helen – it was a really fun night at Cactus Kitchens.
These brownies are just to die for – could do with one right now! Looks like you had a fab time with Rachel Allen!
Those look so amazingly soft and gooey! How lovely is Rachel Allen, never microwaved chocolate myself, too worried about wasting the good stuff!
These look incredible!
Oh my goodness, I’m literally drooling now – these look so tasty. I love dulce de leche, and I think the addition of salt will have made these absolutely perfect. #recipeoftheweek
Sarah I cannot get over how flippin’ GORGEOUS these look. I want one very, very badly. Or two. Or three. Oh, just give me the whole plate.
Thanks Emily, they are extremely more-ish and dangerous!
Positively drooling here! I’ve not made brownies in ages, so thanks for inspiring me to get baking again.
I have never actually made brownies with caramel. One of those things that has always been on the list but I’ve never gotten around to. I rather love the look of yours vs Rachel’s because there is less oooze and thus they look easier to eat by hand which is what I think a brownie must be.
I’m supposed to be on a sugar free month but these look so good they might tempt me off the wagon!
I’m with you Sarah, I like my brownies damp squidgy and without nuts. THese look like quite the delicious little morsel! Well maybe two or three to be sure. Sounded like a fun cooking class as well. Thanks for sharing!
They look lush! I love gooey brownies as I like it moist! I had not try out combi oven and microwave before. It is an eye opening at how these gadget works!