Chocolate Dulce de Leche Bars

For someone that prefers cooking to baking, I do a lot of baking. One reason for this is because I love sweets. I often prefer making my own sweets to store bought because I know exactly what goes in them.   I try to avoid eating sweets that I do not deem “worth it”. I will turn down Oreos in anticipation of one REALLY GOOD homemade chocolate chip cookie. Oreos are delicious, but I would much rather have something homemade.

A lot of the baking I do is for others and entertaining. Bar cookies are great for entertaining because they can be cut up into one-bite squares that are easy to pick up and munch on, no extra plates or utensils required. Also, if you are with a group where people are watching what they eat, the one-bite squares provide the perfect end of meal sweet fix without being too calorific.  Of course, four or five one-bites adds up to one large dessert portion, but that’s up to the eater.

It can also be fun to put out a variety of little bites, perhaps make a batch of lemon bars, and a batch of something chocolate-y. If you volunteer to bring a dessert, small bites may be a good idea if you don’t know what others are bringing. They are easy to pack and transport, especially if you make them in a 9x13 with a lid.

Recently, I made a bar cookie with a shortbread cookie bottom and chocolate dulce de leche fudge top. I made my own dulce de leche because I didn’t feel like driving to Super Fresh, and Whole Foods didn’t stock it.  Making your own dulce de leche is pretty simple. Remove the wrapper from the can of sweetened condensed milk and place the can in large pot of simmering water. Make sure the water covers the can, and allow the can to simmer for about two and a half hours.  Check on it every half hour or so to make sure water is covering the can. You don’t really know it’s done until you open the can, but two and a half hours generally works. Allow the can to cool before opening.  You can also just buy a can of dulce de leche; most grocery stores have it.

Once they cooled, and before I sliced these, I sprinkled these with sea salt. I would definitely recommend doing this.  

My supper club enjoyed these, and I would definitely make them again.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Dulce-de-Leche-Bars-242874

Note: I didn’t have an instant read thermometer, so I just judged when I thought the fudge mixture was  hot enough based on pulling the spoon through the mixture and seeing the tracks. It was pretty obvious.