Chocolate Dulce De Leche Bars

I got the recipe from Epicurious, one of my favorite sites for off beat recipes, nothing is quite the norm on that site, and I love it! I modified it by just one ingredient. Instead of using vanilla extract in the shortbread crust I opted for cinnamon to add a little bit more Latin flare. These got some really good reviews so I urge you to try these awesome bars.

Continue reading for recipe....



For shortbread crust:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

For chocolate dulce de leche:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup dulce de leche (see note below)
• 4 large egg yolks
• 5 ounces 60%-cacao bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preparation

Make shortbread crust:
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter a shallow 9- to 9 1/2-inch square baking pan (1 to 1 1/2 inches deep). Line bottom and 2 sides with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. Butter parchment.

Blend together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl with a fork. Sift in flour and blend with fork until a soft dough forms.

Spread dough evenly in baking pan using an offset spatula or back of a spoon, then prick all over with fork.

Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, then cool completely in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes.

Make chocolate dulce de leche:
Bring cream and dulce de leche to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon until dulce de leche has dissolved.

Whisk together yolks in a bowl, then slowly whisk in hot cream mixture. Return to pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until pan is visible in tracks of spoon and mixture registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until melted.

Make bars:
Pour chocolate mixture over cooled shortbread and chill, uncovered, until cold and set, about 2 hours.

Run a small knife around edges to loosen, then transfer to a cutting board using parchment. Cut with a hot clean knife (dip in hot water and wipe clean between cuts) into 24 bars. Chill until ready to serve.

Note - You can buy ready made dulce de leche in the Hispanic section at your supermarket. Usually next to the Hispanic candies. Or, you can use this method for making dulce de leche in your crock pot that I HIGHLY recommend. I was a little worried making it the first time, wondering if those cans would explode all over my kitchen, but they didn't, so don't worry. The second time I made it I even left the crock pot going for about 10 hrs and left the cans in the hot water for an additional 3-4 hrs until I could get to finishing it. No one will ever believe you that it was that easy to make dulce de leche from scratch. This has got to be the easiest thing ever to make with the best results. Thank you Cupcake Project for enlightening me.