The Broke Baker

Tag: dulce de leche

  • Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

    Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

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    When it comes to frozen treats, I always lean more towards frozen custard instead of ice cream, because I prefer the creamier consistency.  And, since learning how to make ice cream at home, I have always sought out recipes that incorporate egg yolks into the ice cream base, because I know that this will net me a creamy texture that I adore.

    The problem with using egg yolks, of course, means you end up with egg whites that you then have to find a use for.  Sometimes, I just don’t want to deal with that.  And, over time, I have found a few instances where making the ice cream egg-free still yields a creamy and luscious end product.  This dulce de leche ice cream is one of those.

    I make this dulce de leche ice cream often, because it comes together fairly easily and contains ingredients that I almost always have on-hand.  If I have milk or cream that is rapidly approaching its expiration date, ice cream is one of my go-to solutions to this predicament.

    The first thing you need to do is heat your dulce de leche on the stove with the milk.  You want to dissolve the dulce de leche so that it fully incorporates into the ice cream mixture.

    Once all of the dulce de leche has melted, you’re left with a thick, caramel colored mixture.

    Pour this mixture, along with your heavy cream, into a heat-proof bowl.  Add the vanilla extract, and stir to combine.  Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is cold.  You can speed this up by setting your bowl into a larger bowl full of ice, but I usually just let the mixture refrigerate overnight.

    When the mixture is ready, you can freeze it according to the manufacturer’s directions for your ice cream maker, then store it in the freezer until ready to serve.

    A few hours of patience while you wait for it to set will reward you with some smooth, creamy ice cream that is just bursting with dulce de leche flavor in every bite.

    You can buy premade canned dulce de leche, or make your own out of a can of condensed milk.  I haven’t yet tried this with dulce de leche that is made from scratch, but I imagine that it would also work.

    Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

    Ingredients

    • 1 14oz can dulce de leche (about 1 1/3 cups)
    • 1 1/2 cups milk
    • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
    • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

    Directions

    In a small saucepan, combine the dulce de leche and the milk.  Cook over medium to medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the dulce de leche has melted and mixture is uniform and free of clumps.

    Pour mixture into a heat-proof bowl, and gently stir in the cream and vanilla extract.  Cover and refrigerate until very cold, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.  Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container, then freeze until set.

    Makes about 1.5 quarts

     

  • Dulce de Leche Pastelitos

    Dulce de Leche Pastelitos

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    Ever since a recent experience using puff pastry, I have been dying to find another use for it.  The problem is, I’m not a particularly big fan of cooked fruit fillings, as evidenced by the lack of fruit pies and the like on my blog.  I kept wondering what I could put in the puff pastry, until it dawned on me one day.  It probably helped that it was around the time that I come upon a giant, Costco-sized jar of dulce de leche, but it’s still amazing that it took me that long to think of it.  After all, dulce de leche is exceptionally sweet, which is perfect for a crust like puff pastry that is not too sweet.  The flavors balance each other out perfectly.  You can even add semisweet chocolate chips to the filling for an added twist.  Best of all, they’re super easy to make!  Unless you’re going to make your puff pastry and dulce de leche from scratch, that is.  Otherwise, what takes the longest is waiting for the frozen puff pastry to thaw.

    assembly

    Start by thawing your puff pastry.  Once it’s thawed, open it up into flat squares and cut each square into 9 pieces so that you have 18 squares total.  Add a spoonful of dulce de leche into 9 of the squares (add some chocolate chips if you want, as well).  Brush the outer edges with beaten egg, then place a second square on top and press firmly (but gently) to seal.  Brush the tops with additional beaten egg, then sprinkle with sugar.

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    Afterwards, they go into the oven!

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    Despite how delicious they look, resist the urge to immediately bite into one of these.  The filling is HOT.  Like, “burn your face” hot.  “Molten lava volcanic eruption” hot.  It will hurt you.  You will burn your tongue and it will take some of the enjoyment away from eating it.  Let them sit at least 20 minutes before you brave an attempt at eating one.  Take it from someone who had to rub an ice cube on her tongue (but ate it anyway).

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    But…I promise you that it will be worth the wait.  🙂  The warm, gooey, dulce de leche delight in each flaky bite of these dulce de leche pastelitos will leave you wanting more.

    Dulce de Leche Pastelitos

    Ingredients

    • 1 package puff pastry sheets, thawed
    • 3/4 cup dulce de leche
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • 1-2 tbsp granulated sugar
    • mini chocolate chips (optional)

    Directions

    Preheat oven to 350°.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

    Lay the puff pastry sheets out on a solid surface.  Cut each sheet into 9 equal squares so that you’re left with 18 squares.  Add a spoonful of dulce de leche to the center of each square, then sprinkle with chocolate chips (if using).

    Brush the edges of each filled square with beaten egg, then top with another square of pastry sheet.  Gently press down to seal.  Brush the tops with the remaining beaten egg, then sprinkle with sugar.

    Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before consuming.  Store leftover dulce de leche pastelitos in an airtight container after completely cooled.

  • Dulce de Leche Bundt Cake

    Dulce de Leche Bundt Cake

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    I never understood the allure of Costco until I borrowed a membership card from a coworker to help out a friend.  My presence there was merely as an escort, but I wound up leaving $60 poorer from just arbitrarily throwing things in my cart that looked good and was priced significantly lower than I could get it in regular stores.

    That is how I wound up with a giant jar of dulce de leche.  I even mulled over my decision to purchase for a while before I finally went ahead and left it in my shopping cart.  The last time that I waited too long to finish a jar of dulce de leche, it dried out and got crusty.  Was I really going to be able to use all of it in time?  It really kills me to waste food, and I have a few friends that would probably never forgive me if I let perfectly good dulce de leche go to waste.

    Enter this dulce de leche bundt cake.  I honestly don’t even remember what I was looking for when I came across this cake.  I probably Googled “recipes that use dulce de leche” or something along those lines.  Before I knew it, I had made this cake 3 times and was asking for someone with a Costco card to pick up another jar of dulce de leche for me.  Despite being a dulce de leche-centric cake, it’s not overwhelmingly sweet.  The small pocket of dulce de leche is supposed to be closer to the middle of the cake, but it doesn’t matter.  It is still a great cake and is not terribly difficult to make.  Using all brown sugar adds to the cake’s a subtle caramel flavor.

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    First, you want to sift your dry ingredients and set them aside.

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    Next, you make the batter.  Cream your butter and brown sugar together, then add some of the dulce de leche.  Once the dulce de leche is sufficiently combined, beat in the eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla extract.  Blend in the flour alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.

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    Pour about 3/4 of the mixture into a well-greased bundt pan.  Gently add the remaining dulce de leche into the center of the batter, then pour the remaining batter into the pan.  After that, into the oven it goes!

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    About an hour later, you’ve got a beautiful bundt cake.

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    With a surprise little pocket of dulce de leche inside!

    Since it’s a bundt cake, it’s great for potlucks and similar events.  I bet it would be great with ice cream, but it never lasts long enough for me to find out.  Give this cake a try!

    Dulce de Leche Bundt Cake

    (Adapted from Ambrosia)

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups dulce de leche, divided
    • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
    • 4 eggs, at room temperature
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour

    Directions

    Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.

    Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, into a bowl and set aside.  In the bowl of a standard electric mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar, and cream until light and fluffy. Once creamed , add 1 cup of dulce de leche.  Mix well, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition. Add in the vanilla extract.

    With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients mixture.  Beat until just combined.  Do not overbeat!

    Add about 3/4 of the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan.  Add the remaining 1/2-3/4 cup dulce de leche in a ring around the center of the pan.  Evenly distribute the remaining cake batter in the pan, and gently smooth out the top with a spatula. Don’t press down or tap the pan against the counter to keep your filling from sinking too much.

    Bake in the center rack of the oven at 350° for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let the cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then remove from pan and allow dulce de leche bundt cake to cool completely on a wire rack.

  • Chocolate Dulce De Leche Rolls

    Chocolate Dulce De Leche Rolls

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    One of the plus sides of knowing your way around the kitchen is that food is quite often an acceptable form of currency in my social circle.  Oftentimes, people will happily trade goods and services for the right dish.  And, really, who ISN’T more likely to lend a helping hand if it means you will almost definitely get some good food out of it at some point?

    So, when one of my friends helped me out of a serious bind, I promised her something delicious in return.  Since dulce de leche is one of her absolute favorite things, I wanted to make something that had dulce de leche in it.  This recipe for chocolate dulce de leche rolls came to me in the morning of the day that she was scheduled to come and collect on my debt. (more…)

  • Dulce de Leche Brownies

    Dulce de Leche Brownies

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    When I was a teenager, I wasn’t allowed to get a job.  My “job,” I was told, was to get good grades.  So, in order to make a little bit of spending money, I started making brownies and selling them at school.  I quickly became known as “Brownie Girl,” and it would be a miracle of my batch of brownies for the day even made it to lunchtime.  Some of my friends still talk about them.

    It’s hard to believe that this happened about half of my lifetime ago.  And, back then, my brownies were made using boxed brownie mix.  My friends still insist that I did something magical to the brownies, when all I ever really did was add a little bit of vanilla extract to my brownie batter.  Brownies became such a staple of my everyday life that, after high school, I went through a period where I absolutely couldn’t stand them.  I’m over it now, but it took a very long time.  These days, my brownies are made from scratch. (more…)