Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Brownies

 I first made these delicious brownies straight after watching a Sunday Brunch episode floopin years ago and made them reasonably often as my children would demand them with menaces - they ARE pretty good if I say so myself. 13 or so years later and my children have long flown the nest so these just really don't get made anymore - shame - they are still a lovely chocolaty indulgence and with a couple of tweaks the recipe has really stood the test of time. 

125g carnation caramel condensed milk
150g dark chocolate
115g butter
25g cocoa powder
3 free range eggs
200g Light brown demerara sugar
140g plain flour

If you can't get hold of carnation caramel condensed milk then you can make your own dulche de leche like this, fill a saucapan with water and boil  tin of condensed mik for 4 hours. Don't let your pan run dry.After 4 hours, take tin out of the water and leave to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 175c./325f/Gas3.Grease and line a 20cm ( 8inch) square cake tin.
Place chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl over a pan of bubbling water and melt together. Once melted take off the heat and whisk in the cocoa, eggs and sugar then fold in the flour.

Pour half this mixture into your tin, dot over blobs of the dulce de leche and pour over the rest of the chocolate mixture.

Place tin into the centre of your oven for about 30-35 ( anything up to 45 minutes depending on your oven )  minutes or until a skewer pushed into the centre of your cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

Theres' a lovely crackle to the top and the perfect squishyness inside, still a great recipe!

Generally healthier recipes coming soon to the blog ..... Honestly....

Debs

Long time no see

On a rather wet day here in Wales, and twiddling my thumbs as I can't get out in the garden, I thought I'd see if this little blog was still anywhere to be found...big surprise... it' still here and still getting views after all this time. Amazing!

So much has happened in the last 12 years since we started this as a way to keep in touch, house moves, two marriages ( one each I hasten to add ), grandchildren but more importantly - an allotment. 

Now this takes a huge amount of time that honestly sometimes we just don't have so it seemed like a fabulous idea - to take on another one. Allotments have an addictive quality which, I think, could prove counter productive, the produce though brings its own reward. We just need to get to grips with the planning as the inevitable glut due to lack of any sense of proportion is quite overwhelming.

I am NOT growing runner beans next year as I can't face another bloody jar of chutney.

On the plus side we'll never have to buy chutney again.

So, to the blog, winter is on it's way so it seems like a nice idea to while away the grey winter months with a little bloggyness - why not?

Onwards and upwards, today seems like a good day to resurrect a chocolate brownie recipe that I haven't tackled in about six years but always put's a smile on everyone's faces.

Chocolate dulce de leche recipe to follow .....

Debs