Dulce de leche brownies

Makes 16 squares or 64 mini brownies

You will need:

• 175g dark chocolate • 175g butter, cubed • 3 eggs • 225g caster sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 100g plain flour • Half a 398g tin of boiled condensed milk, or ready boiled, labeled as caramel (or see Note at the end of the recipe, on how to boil condensed milk)

1To make this recipe, you’ll also need a 20cm x 20cm cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4. Line the base and sides of the tin with parchment paper. 2 Melt the dark chocolate and the cubed butter together in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Remove the pan from the heat once the chocolate and butter are melted. 3 In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs, the caster sugar and the vanilla extract for 2 minutes until the mixture is a little light and creamy. Continuing to whisk, add the chocolate and butter mixture until everything is well combined. Sift in the plain flour and fold it through using a spatula or metal spoon. 4 Spoon the brownie mixture into the prepared tin. Use a teaspoon to add blobs of the boiled condensed-milk caramel

(dulce de leche) all over the surface of the brownies. Then, using the handle of a teaspoon, run it around in swirls to achieve a marbled effect. Bake the brownies in the oven for 20-25 minutes. When they are cooked, they should be dry on top, but still slightly gooey and fudgy inside. Don’t be tempted to leave the brownies in the oven any longer than this or you will have cake, rather than brownies. Allow the brownies to cool in the tin, then cut them into small or large squares, whichever you prefer.

Note:

To boil condensed milk, just put the unopened tin in a saucepan of water and boil it for three hours. Allow it to cool before opening it. I normally boil a few tins of condensed milk at a time. The dulce de

leche will keep for a year or so in the unopened tin once it has been boiled. I store these tins without the labels on (they will fall off in the water anyway) so I can easily distinguish which tins have been boiled.