Dulce de Leche Brownies

These were fabulous! Aaron was my quality control and he told me that there had better be some when he got home. He is a brownie purist, so this is saying a lot.
I made some modifications to the original recipe and I like them better. I also made a 13 X 9-inch pan instead of 8 X 8 - to make sure Aaron got his fair share.

Jennie's Dulce de Leche Brownies (adapted from David Lebovitz's recipe):
16 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
12 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used 6 oz. 70% chocolate and 6 oz. 82% chocolate)
1/2 c. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
6 large eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. toasted pecans
2 c. dulce de leche (I made my own with two cans of sweetened condensed milk)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 9 X 13-inch pan with foil and grease the foil.
Melt the butter and chocolate together. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, salt and flour. Mix in the nuts, if using.
Scrape half the batter into the prepared pan. Drop 1/2 of the dulce de leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter, then drag a knife through to swirl it slightly. Spread the remaining brownie batter over, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining dulce de leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl it.
Bake for 35-45 minutes (mine took 40). The brownies are done when the center feels just slightly firm. Remove and cool completely.

For a crowd, the bigger pan is best, but for just my family, the smaller pan works just fine. These are super rich, so be sure you have lots of milk on hand. Enjoy!

Making the dulce:
This does take forever, but it's pretty inactive. Basically, you put your can o' sweetened condensed milk in a baking pan or pie plate, cover it with foil and place it inside a large pan. I put a small kitchen towel underneath it to stabilize it. Heat your oven to 425. Pour water into the larger pan so it comes halfway up the side of your dulce pan. Put it in the oven. Let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. I set my timer for 30 minutes and would take it out and stir it - you want it gorgeously caramel-y colored. I originally read that it only takes 1 to 1 1/4 hours - this was not true for me. If you stir it every 30 minutes, you'll have a good idea of how long yours will take.