I haven't thought about brownies for a long time, only cake on my mind lately... Until now. I went to a baby shower recently and these were served as the dessert. Heavenly. Mouthwatering. Fudgy, chocolatly, gooey, rich.

I'll stop.

I dissected it to determine what was in this little piece of heaven and I would bet money on dulce de leche, not just any regular caramel type spread. I hunted for the best recipe to make these. I found David Lebovitz's Dulce de Leche Brownie Recipe, you can click "read more" at the end of this post for the recipe or visit his website.

This is my attempt at it below. I didn't have the proper chocolate, I will suggest going for something dark, bittersweet. For the dulce, be generous and add it in clumps, never mind spreading it around 'evenly spaced'!

Pecans seem to be MIA for this piece.

Stay tuned for a cupcake inspired by today's treat. And happy thanksgiving to those celebrating :) Calories do not count tomorrow.

Dulce de Leche Brownies
12 brownies
Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway Books)

8 tablespoons (115g) salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (140g) flour
optional: 1 cup (100 g) toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup Dulce de Leche (or Cajeta)

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C).
• Line a 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. If it doesn’t reach all the way up and over all four sides, cross another sheet of foil over it, making a large cross with edges that overhang the sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with a bit of butter or non-stick spray.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces and stir constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted. 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, then the flour. Mix in the nuts, if using.
• Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Here comes the fun part.
• Drop one-third 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 the Dulce de Leche slightly.
• Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Storage: These brownies actually become better the second day, and will keep well for up to 3 days.