Like many other people, I am susceptible to making grocery store impulse buys. A few months ago I couldn't help myself from picking up a couple of jars of dulce de leche at Trader Joe's. I have made my own dulce de leche before, but it takes a long time and I don't find it particularly rewarding. Plus, the jars at Trader Joe's were so inexpensive that buying them was as cost effective than making my own.
At the time I bought the dulce de leche, I didn't have a specific use in mind -- but I think I envisioned using it as a cookie filling. But after the jars sat in the cupboard for a while, I realized that I had better put them to use already. So I decided to try an epicurious.com recipe for Chocolate Dulce de Leche bars.
These bars have a shortbread base that you make by combining softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour. You press the dough into the bottom of a parchment-lined pan, dock the dough, bake until golden, and cool completely. To make the topping, you bring heavy cream and dulce de leche to a simmer; add tempered egg yolks; cook until the mixture reaches 170 degrees (which happened almost instantaneously for me); and whisk in bittersweet chocolate until melted. You pour the chocolate-dulce de leche topping over the cooled crust and chill until set.
My shortbread layer had shrunken a little during baking, so the topping extended over the edge of the crust. I trimmed off about one-quarter inch of crust all the way around to tidy up the bars before slicing. I cut what remained from the 8-inch square pan into 16 servings and took them to a cousins' brunch, where they were a hit.
The bars are so decadent -- the crisp shortbread is buttery, but it barely registers next to the thick and luscious topping. The chocolate dulce de leche was firm enough to hold its shape, and much richer than a pudding or custard -- almost fudgy. The topping flavor is predominantly chocolate, with a light touch of caramel from the dulce de leche. I probably should have cut the pan in 24 servings as suggested by the recipe, because a little of these bars go a long way. That said, no one at brunch had difficulty finishing a bar.
These bars don't really highlight the flavor of dulce de leche since it plays second fiddle to the chocolate. But the upside of that fact is that there's no reason to feel guilty for not making your own!
Recipe: "Chocolate Dulce de Leche Bars" from epicurious.com.
At the time I bought the dulce de leche, I didn't have a specific use in mind -- but I think I envisioned using it as a cookie filling. But after the jars sat in the cupboard for a while, I realized that I had better put them to use already. So I decided to try an epicurious.com recipe for Chocolate Dulce de Leche bars.
These bars have a shortbread base that you make by combining softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour. You press the dough into the bottom of a parchment-lined pan, dock the dough, bake until golden, and cool completely. To make the topping, you bring heavy cream and dulce de leche to a simmer; add tempered egg yolks; cook until the mixture reaches 170 degrees (which happened almost instantaneously for me); and whisk in bittersweet chocolate until melted. You pour the chocolate-dulce de leche topping over the cooled crust and chill until set.
The bars are so decadent -- the crisp shortbread is buttery, but it barely registers next to the thick and luscious topping. The chocolate dulce de leche was firm enough to hold its shape, and much richer than a pudding or custard -- almost fudgy. The topping flavor is predominantly chocolate, with a light touch of caramel from the dulce de leche. I probably should have cut the pan in 24 servings as suggested by the recipe, because a little of these bars go a long way. That said, no one at brunch had difficulty finishing a bar.
These bars don't really highlight the flavor of dulce de leche since it plays second fiddle to the chocolate. But the upside of that fact is that there's no reason to feel guilty for not making your own!
Recipe: "Chocolate Dulce de Leche Bars" from epicurious.com.
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