Dulce de Leche Chocolate Chip Brownies

Dulce de Leche!....

mmmm how many wonderful things can I say about it?!

 For me it's the king of dessert toppings it reigns supreme for my bocita (little mouth).

It's like the "latin lover" of caramel... smooth, rich, creamy and when I eat it seems to talk to me......

saying all the right things en español  of course!.... like Ay que rico or yes I'm so delicoso!

 Kinda like dinero you can never have too much dulce de leche....por lo menos ( at least) in my opinion you can't!

So since my mouth was in a mood for a lot of lovin

I decided to give it what it wants....

chocolatey brownies christened with copious amounts of chocolate chips and slathered with sweet creamy latin love!

 A Cielo!  (To Heaven) you go!


A la cocina!


Ingredients

1 cup. all-purpose flour

1 3/4. cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/2. cups of sugar

1 1/3. cups (2 sticks + 6 tbsp) butter

4 eggs.

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2tsp. salt

1/2tsp. espresso powder

1 tsp.  good quality vanilla

1/2 cup. milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 jar of dulce de leche

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper set aside.

 

2. In a large double boiler, melt butter then add espresso powder, mixing to dissolve. Add sugar and cook until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. 

 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cooled (it can be luke warm) butter mixture and vanilla. With mixing speed on low add one egg at a time, mixing just until incorporated. 

 

4. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients. Mix until batter is smooth and flour is well included. Remove bowl from stand and fold in your milk & semi-sweet chocolate chips (leaving a few chips for the top of your batter). 

 

5. Spread the brownie batter evenly into your baking pan. You may want to warm you dulce de leche un poquito (just a little) if it's a little stiff. With a spatula or spoon drop in 6-9 spoonfuls of dulce de leche (I like to make rows of 3) gently swirl the ducle de leche through the batter with a knife.  Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top of your brownie batter.

 

6.Place in oven and bake for 20- 25minutes or until the brownies are set. Remove from oven and let cool for about 35 minutes before cutting. Ahora...Enjoy!

Sweet Churro Funnel Cake

Funnel Cake & Churros in my opinion ( or at least in my brainchild) go together like Peanut Butter & Jelly.

They are both enjoyed during outdoor events , the sugary sweet smell of each one wafting in the air are ridiculous!

The instant the sweet smell hit's your nose you have one desire......to find the Señor or Señorita selling them and get one into your belly instantamente! 

Well guess what? 

With this recipe there is no need to hop in your car, or leave your warm casa at all.

There will be no need to pay super loca carnival or amusement park prices to feed your need for hot crispy bites of sugary goodness.

Nope!

I have provided you the recipe for everything you need to become your very own in house professional funnel cake infused Churro maker!

Seriously, these are so good that your familia and amigos will insist that you purchase a food truck name it "ChurroTastic"! And take all your sugary magic on the road!

                                                                     Ingredients
adapted from Paula Deen's recipe

 

2 cups milk

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) melted butter

Powdered Sugar & Cinnamon mixed, for sugar sprinkle

1 box of Tres Estrellas- Churro Mix

 

P.S, You will only need to use about 1/2 cup of the Churro Mix, but muy pronto(very soon) I will be posting a new recipe to use up all that leftover mix! 

 

Vamos a La Cocina!

                                                                     Directions

 

1. Prepare Tres Estrellas Churro Mix and set aside;

 

2. Now for the funnel cake,combine milk, egg, vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar and gradually add to wet ingredients.

 

3.Beat with a mixer until a smooth batter forms. Fold in melted butter. Add in 1/2 cup premade Churro batter, mix until well incorporated. Pour batter into a funnel or squeeze bottle while using your index finger to stop the flow of the batter.

 

4.Bring the funnel over the hot oil and release your finger to start a stream of batter while moving the funnel in a circular motion to create circular swirls, I actually tried to make mine into the letter "C" for Churro. Go slowly to make sure that you don't break the flow of the batter. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown and slightly puffed. Sprinkle with cinnamon infused powdered sugar.

 

 

El Borracho- Rum Soaked Tres Leches Cake

Some things in la vida ( life) are so good, it would be a shame if they were missed.  That's exactly how I feel about Tres Leches Cake, it is a sweet, moist sponge cake soaked to the gills in three milks. Hence the name Tres Leches, which is Spanish for just that - three milks.

If the saying goes " American as Apple Pie, then the saying for our vecinos ( neighbors) below the border would be Latin as " Tres Leches Cake".

That is where this yummy cake originated.  The actual birthplace of this Latin dessert is disputable between tres paises diferentes ( three different countries). Nicaragua, Guatemala and Mexico. All three lay claim for this Queen of Pastel ( cakes) being native to their countries. 

The jury may still be out on who invented this cake, but I give mil gracias ( a million thanks) to my amigo Chulo who introduced this pastel delicoso to me!  Although I'd like to believe that I already knew a lot about Latin culture before him, me being a " Gringa-Latina" ( American girl with an amor for everything Latin). 

Chulo really opened my eyes to so many more awesome traditions, arts and culture within America Latina.  There is nothing like spending time with someone who grew up within a culture , to help give you a taste of what it's really like and bring you closer to yummy, dulce, out of this mundo (world) cakey goodness like Tres Leches Cake!

 

adapted from : Marcela Valladolid, Mexican Made Easy

My version of this cake has a little rum, a traditional tres leches cake does not contain alcohol. In many Latin American countries the addition of alcohol to the cake changes the name to a

" Pastel Borracho" meaning drunken cake.

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray, for the cake pan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the cake pan

1 tablespoon baking powder

4 large eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

2 cups heavy cream, divided

3 tablespoons Bacardi Gold Rum

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

 

optional:

maraschino cherries

strawberry jam

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and flour a 10-inch cake pan with 2-inch high sides and then line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.

Mix the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until frothy. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Beat in the yolks, 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the whole milk in 2 additions.


Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool the cake slightly, about 10 minutes, then invert onto a platter with 1-inch high sides.


Pierce the top of the cake all over with a thick skewer. Mix the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, 1 cup heavy cream and  the Bacardi rum in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture over the cake while warm. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours or overnight.

Combine the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream onto top of the cake and garnish with maraschino cherries, strawberries or even peaches.

 

Optional: I wanted a little filling in my cake, so I made a little extra whipped cream mixed with strawberry jam to create an extra sweet center to the cake. You can use any flavor jam that sounds yummy : passion fruit, guava or mango sound pretty delicioso to me as well!