Fudgy Dulce de Leche Brownies

If there's any food I'll ever call wicked, it's probably this super fudgy dulce de leche brownie. Oozing with South American style caramel, and packed full of chocolate, this brownie is bound to satisfy any sugar or chocolate cravings within seconds. Thankfully for the waistline, it's a super rich brownie that can't be eaten in huge quantities at a time, but makes a large batch for sharing or freezing for future desserts--it's particularly delicious warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Absolute decadence!

FUDGY DULCE DE LECHE BROWNIES (Adapted from Delicious. More Please by Valli Little)

400g can sweetened condensed milk
200g dark chocolate, chopped
250g butter, chopped
1 3/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups plain flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder

To make the dulce de leche, remove the paper label from the side of the sweetened condensed milk can. Immerse the can into the saucepan of water so that the water covers the top of the can. Place over a high heat on the stove and set the stove timer. Boil for three hours, checking frequently to top up the water to cover the can if it has evaporated. (It is important to keep the can covered, as failure to do so may result in the can exploding). Turn off the heat and allow the can to cool before removing and opening.Set aside to completely cool.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 22cm square cake pan with baking paper. Set aside.
Place the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Stir until the contents have melted and are well combined. In a bowl place the brown sugar and the eggs. Whisk until the eggs have broken down, then add the melted chocolate and butter mixture. Stir in the flour, baking powder and cocoa until well incorporated.
Pour half of this batter into the base of the lined baking tin, and smooth to evenly cover the bottom. A teaspoon at a time, scoop half the cooled dulce de leche from the can onto this batter in random areas. Cover with the remaining brownie batter, and repeat again with the rest of the dulce de leche. Gently swirl the caramel on the top layer  with the end of a spoon (do not break through the brownie batter though as this can spoil the brownie.)
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set. The dulce de leche will be molten, so allow to cool in the pan before removing to cut into squares.

NOTES: You can buy prepared and authentic dulce de leche from some gourmet food stores.

Creme de Menthe Chocolate Fudge Slice

I have a bit of a confession to make. I'm one of those people that is easily inspired to do things and then, like water on a firecracker, it often fizzles out before it really goes off. I have the best intentions of course. I suppose that comes with being sanguine in nature. As you can imagine, I'm a bit of a hoarder (so many possibilities in this!) and pintrest will be the death of me. My junk cupboard is filled with all sorts of unfinished projects--because half way through them, I get a huge inspiration for something else and have to start it before the inspiration I forget and lose the interest to do it. I don't know how that darling husband puts up with me.
Anyway, I'm pretty proud to say that my baking passion has not fizzled out (thanks to you all, and my "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" theory--which happens to be true), and neither has this blog! Unlike so many of my interests, this has somehow stayed consistent, and happily, I find myself writing Lick The Spoon's 200th post. Yes I have a baby on my knee and am writing at a painful rate with one hand, whist she chews on the other with her not-so-gummy mouth. But it's still the 200th post!
Here's a recipe I had a dream about. Yes, that happens frequently, and then I just have to create it. Minty creme de menthe filling wedged between fudgy brownie base and a corrugated layer of thick, chocolate fudge ganache. Oh my! This is a lady killer. A man killer too, as a matter of fact. I couldn't quite get the intensity of mint flavour I wanted with the creme de menthe, so I intensified it by adding a little mint essence just to jack up the flavour a notch. You can substitute the creme de menthe for 1 tsp. mint essence if you don't have any of that sublime liqueur handy, and add a few drops of green food colouring in it too. There, there's a cheats non-alcoholic version for you. Enjoy!

CREME DE MENTHE CHOCOLATE GANACHE SLICE (A Lick the Spoon Original)

Base:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp salt

Filling:
1/4 cup cream
2 tbsp. green creme de menthe
3 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp. mint essence (optional)

Fudge Ganache:
200g dark cooking chocolate
2 tbsp thickened cream
mint leaves to garnish (optional)

Preheat your oven to 180C.
Melt butter and remove from heat. Stir through the cocoa and brown sugar until combined.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Next, blend in the flour and salt. Spoon the batter into a greased and lined 18x18 square baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling by placing cream, creme de menthe, icing sugar and essence in a medium bowl. Beat until well combined and at the desired thickness and flavour. The filling should be thick yet spreadable.
Spread over the top of the base layer. Refrigerate while making the ganache.
To make the ganache, gently melt the chocolate using your microwave, checking and stirring every 20 seconds or so until the chocolate is almost melted.  Stir to melt the last of the chocolate. Set aside to cool momentarily. Remove the slice from the refrigerator.
Working quickly, add the cream to the chocolate and stir thoroughly to combine. The mixture thickens quickly, so mix in a timely manner and immediately spread over the top of the filling. You can add a pattern to the top of the slice by using the tip of a butter knife.
Refrigerate until ready to serve, then cut into squares.