Decadent brownies with a rich swirl of dulce de leche caramel and a generous sprinkle of sea salt. An irresistible sweet and salty dessert!
Pure Bliss
With Cinco de Mayo coming up, I had dulce de leche on my mind. So rich and delicious, I thought why not swirl it into my favorite brownie batter and then generously sprinkle them with a little sea salt?! It was a no-brainer and these Salted Dulce de Leche Brownies are pure bliss.
Sweet and Balanced
The brownies are super fudgy and the dulce de leche is super sweet, but the sea salt balances it all out into the most delicious sweet and salty dessert that you won’t be able to put your fork down until it’s all gone. And then you’ll be tempted for more!
Want more decadence? Drizzle with a little extra caramel for even more yum!
A Favorite Dessert
If you had to choose your absolute favorite dessert, what would it be?! That’s the hardest question ever for me! If I choose cake, I’d be cheating on cookies. If I choose cookies, I’d be cheating on brownies. And so on and so on! I love dessert!
Brownies are definitely up there most of the time. It’s sure hard to beat a warm brownie with a cold glass of milk or a scoop of ice cream melting over it. These caramel swirled brownies are absolutely divine. The perfect Cinco de Mayo dessert or just a special weekend treat. If you’re pleasing a crowd, I’d suggest baking a double batch because they’ll go fast!
Ingredients and Supplies
(see recipe card at the bottom of this post for measurements and details. To learn more about specific baking ingredients and how they function in baking recipes, reference my Complete Guide to Baking Ingredients)
Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Granulated sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Baking powder
- Dulce de leche milk-based caramel
- Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Supplies:
- 9×13-inch baking pan
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Large microwave-safe bowl
- Whisk
- Table knife or chopstick
How to Make Salted Dulce de Leche Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Or line the baking dish with parchment paper.
- Place the butter and chocolate chips in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate chips are melted and smooth. Whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until well combined.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Add the flour, salt and baking powder and stir until well incorporated.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Dollop the dulce de leche evenly over the batter.
- Gently swirl into the batter with a table knife or chopstick so thick swirl are throughout all the batter.
- Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Storage
Store leftover brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
To freeze, I recommend wrapping them individually in plastic wrap then putting in a freezer-safe container or in individual freezer-safe baggies for up to three months. To defrost frozen brownies, let them set at room temperature, uncovered, so they don’t absorb too much of the moisture.
More of The Best Brownies and Bars
From chewy and fudgy to nutty, chunky, chocolatey, no-bake and flourless. My collection of the Best Brownies and Bars has something everyone will love!
If you make these Salted Dulce de Leche Brownies, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. If you’re on Facebook, be sure to join my Friends of The BakerMama group to connect and share all the fun and yummy recipes of mine that you make! 😍 I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the ideas I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
Salted Dulce de Leche Brownies
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 15
- Category: Dessert
Description
Decadent brownies with a rich swirl of dulce de leche caramel and a generous sprinkle of sea salt. An irresistible sweet and salty dessert!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup dulce de leche milk-based caramel
- coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Place the butter and chocolate chips in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate chips are melted and smooth. Whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until well combined. Stir in the vanilla.
- Add the flour, salt and baking powder and stir until well incorporated.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish. Dollop the dulce de leche evenly over the batter and gently swirl into the batter with a table knife or chopstick so thick swirl are throughout all the batter.
- Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Hi, the sea salt on top melted after brownies was left in room temperature overnight. Is there a way to prevent this melting because it effect the outlook if I place it on my cafe counter.
Hi! You could wait and sprinkle the sea salt on right before you serve each brownie if you wish. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Do you have a preferred brand of caramel? Thanks!
Hi Deb! For this recipe, I’ve used Stonewall Kitchen and Nestle dulce de leche. Both are great!
Yay! Excited for the post. We appreciated meals so much after our twins, so I love the idea of paying it forward. Thanks!
I know it’s not related to this post, but what are your go-to meals to bring to new mamas?
Hi Ginny! Love this question as I’m always taking meals and looking for yummy meal ideas for new mamas. I’m actually going to do a post soon with lots of ideas and recipes. But for now, my go-tos are baked tacos with rice, beans, guacamole, salsa, chips etc. AND chicken pesto pasta salad or hummus pasta salad (both recipes on my blog) with pita, hummus, fruit salad, carrots, etc. I always include a dessert like brownies or cookies and some muffins or homemade granola bars for breakfast the next day. Hope this helps! Be looking for a post soon with lots more ideas! 🙂
The sweet and salty combination is my favourite kind! These brownies look divine and I can imagine tasted just as decadent as their appearance.
These look INCREDIBLE – the photos are gorgeous!
These look absolutely irresistible and I can’t stop staring at them!