Dulce de Leche Brownies

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on Feb 26, 2025

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Add some chocolate caramel goodness to your day with these deliciously simple Dulce de Leche Brownies! A rich, fudgy brownie base is studded with chocolate chips and swirled with ribbons of sticky-sweet Mexican caramel sauce for a perfectly portable dessert that’s downright divine.

Dulce de leche brownie squares on a wooden pedestal with a brown background.

Ingredients & Substitutions
How to Make Dulce de Leche Brownies
Optional Variations
Serving & Topping Suggestions
Expert Tips & Tricks
Storage Instructions
Frequently Asked Questions
More Chocolate, Brownie, Caramel, & Dulce de Leche Recipes
Dulce de Leche Brownies Recipe

I couldn’t think of a better recipe to share than these amazingly yummy dulce de leche brownies. Perfect for any occasion! While the recipe was originally published in my newest cookbook, Fiestas, today I’m sharing it with ALL my loyal readers!

Why You’ll Love This Mexican
Caramel Brownies Recipe

Brownies are undoubtedly awesome, but adding dulce de leche to the mix is next-level.

Chances are, you already have most of the ingredients in your pantry to make a batch. If you can’t find dulce de leche at your store, you can easily make it using condensed milk (Slow Cooker Dulce de Leche) or buy it online.

The fantastically fudgy dark chocolate brownie base is a perfect contrast for the sweetness of classic Mexican caramel sauce, offering balance in every bite.

Ingredients & Substitutions

The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.

All-Purpose Flour – Plain white flour is all you need, but swapping in cake flour should work just fine.
Cornstarch – Love the chewy, fudgy texture of box mix brownies? Cornstarch is all you need to achieve it at home! Can’t do corn? Potato starch is a perfect 1:1 substitute for cornstarch in every application I’ve tried.
Ground Cinnamon – Adding a hint of warmth gives these brownies a Mexican chocolate vibe. If possible, use canela.
Unsalted Butter & Salt – Starting with unsalted butter and adding your own salt is the best way to ensure consistent results.
Baking Soda – We don’t add much leavening since we want to keep the brownies dense and fudgy, but just a smidge gives them the perfect lift.
Granulated Sugar – White sugar is essential for achieving a gooey center with a crackly brownie top. Pure cane sugar or superfine sugar can be used in a 1:1 ratio.
Large Eggs & Egg Yolk – Eggs act as our binder, while the extra yolk provides richness. Don’t worry, you don’t have to waste anything—save the extra white to toss in a Mexican egg scramble.
Pure Vanilla Extract – For added warmth. Vanilla paste or powder may be used instead.
Vegetable Oil – Any neutral-flavored oil (e.g. canola, grapeseed, avocado, corn, peanut) can be used here.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – I prefer using Dutch-processed cocoa whenever possible, as it has a smoother, less acidic chocolate flavor than conventional cocoa. Black cocoa is considered extra-Dutched, so that’s a great option, too!
Semisweet Chocolate Chips – Feel free to use your favorite brand of chocolate chips. The chocolate chips provide extra chocolate flavor and a chewy texture with visible chocolate chunks throughout the brownie, essentially making them “richer” and more decadent, while also contributing a slightly shiny, crackly top due to the added sugar in the chips during baking.
Dulce de Leche – If you can’t find it pre-made, you can make your own using a slow cooker and just one ingredient: sweetened condensed milk! Or feel free to replace it with cajeta or caramel sauce.

A variety of ingredients to make dulce de leche brownies. Vanilla extract in a bottle, dulce de leche in a can, wet and dry ingredients in measuring cups and spoons on a white marble background.

How to Make Dulce de Leche Brownies

Prep. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square cake pan with a parchment paper sling, allowing two long strips to extend beyond the rim by about 1 inch. Spray the lined tray with cooking spray and set aside.

Step 1: Mix Dry Ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.

Step 2: Wet Ingredients. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the sugar and butter and microwave on medium power just until the butter is melted, about 1 minute. Whisk in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir in the oil and cocoa powder until the cocoa dissolves and the mixture is smooth.

Step 3: Mix Wet & Dry. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until *just* fully incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips, distributing them evenly.

Step 4: Initial Bake. Spread half of the brownie batter evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. The batter will still be loose; we want it that way!

Adding chocolate chips into brownie batter.

Brownie batter on a prepared pan lined with parchment paper.

Step 5: Add Dulce de Leche Swirl. Dollop the dulce de leche on top of the baked brownie batter, portioning it in 9 evenly spaced spoonfuls, and then top evenly with the remaining batter. Using a knife, swirl together the top brownie layer and the dulce de leche layer.

Dollops of dulce de leche on brownie batter in a pan.

Swirled dulce de leche in brownie batter in baking pan.

Step 6: Finish Baking. Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes longer. The top should feel just barely set to the touch. Do not overbake. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Step 7: Cut Cooled Brownies. Using the edges of the parchment sling to assist, lift the brownies out of the pan, then cut into squares to serve. (Note that this recipe makes either 9 large or 16 small brownies depending on whether you make 2 or 3 cuts per side.)

Close up view of dulce de leche brownie squared on a wooden surface with a spoonful of dulce de leche on the side.

Optional Variations

Different Caramel – Try goat’s milk cajeta for another fun Latin American treat, or swap in the thick caramel sauce of your choice.
Different Chocolate – While I love the double-whammy of semisweet chocolate chips in my chocolate caramel brownies, you’re welcome to switch things up. White, milk, dark, bittersweet, or mini chocolate chips can all be swapped in, as can other baking chips (e.g. butterscotch or caramel chips). Or, use the chopped Mexican chocolate or chocolate bars of your choice.

Serving & Topping Suggestions

These chocolate brownies with dulce de leche swirls are decadent as can be, so you don’t need anything to serve them. I like to wrap them individually in plastic wrap and slap on a cute heart sticker to keep them closed—they’re great for tossing in lunch boxes, giving as Galentine’s, or selling at bake sales.

Want to go all out? Make a sundae by topping your brownie with a scoop of vanilla, caramel, or chocolate ice cream, a drizzle of warmed dulce de leche and Mexican chocolate sauce, a dollop of whipped cream, and a sprinkle of toasted nuts. If you’re hosting a get-together, set up a brownie ice cream sundae bar so everyone can create their own dream dessert!

Expert Tips & Tricks

Separate eggs when they’re cold—the yolk is far less likely to break this way.

Use a kitchen scale. Volume measurements for dry ingredients can vary widely, as they can settle. Using a scale will ensure you get perfect results every time! If you don’t have one, use the spoon and sweep method to measure your flour for the closest approximation.

Don’t over-mix the brownie batter. As soon as there are no visible pockets of the flour mixture, you’re done.

DIY Dulce de Leche will save you a bit of money over store-bought—and it’s SO EASY.

Make it pretty! Use a knife or skewer to make pretty swirls, dragging across the pockets of dulce de leche.

Storage Instructions

Room Temperature – The brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Refrigerated – For a slightly longer shelf-life, they’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Frozen – You can also freeze dulce de leche brownies for up to 3 months. I recommend wrapping them in several layers of plastic wrap before transferring to a freezer bag and gently pressing the air out to help ward off any freezer burn.
Reheating – I generally prefer to serve my brownies cool or at room temp to make them easier to eat with my hands. However, if you’d like to warm them (say, for a brownie sundae), pop them on a parchment-lined tray in a preheated 200ºF oven for about 5 minutes, or until sufficiently gooey.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between caramel and dulce de leche? Do they taste different?

While dulce de leche is part of the “caramel” category, dulce de leche is a particular variety of caramel whose name translates to “sweet milk.” The only ingredients in classic Mexican dulce de leche are sugar and milk (or sweetened condensed milk as a shortcut), then cooked until the sugars caramelize and thicken the mixture.
Other forms of caramel can vary—at most basic, caramel can be made by heating sugar until browned and caramelized, resulting in a harder, Werther-like consistency. It can also be made with water, apple cider, milk, cream, butter, or other liquids in varying ratios to create everything from chewy caramel candies to drizzle-able sauces.

What is the difference between sweetened condensed milk and dulce de leche? Are they interchangeable?

Sweetened condensed milk is the building block for my slow cooker dulce de leche recipe. That said, they aren’t the same—the process of cooking the condensed milk down causes a color change from ecru to gold, thanks to caramelized sugars. It also becomes quite a bit thicker as it becomes dulce de leche. While they’re not really interchangeable, you can use condensed milk to make dulce de leche—if you have a can on hand, you’re ready to go!

Are butterscotch and dulce de leche the same thing?

Nope! While delicious, butterscotch is made by caramelizing brown sugar and butter, sometimes with some extra cream, vanilla, or additional flavoring added to the mix, whereas white sugar and milk are used for making dulce de leche.

Can I take any shortcuts to make dulce de leche brownies?

Absolutely! Feel free to use your favorite boxed brownie mix (Ghirardelli brownie mix is tough to beat!) to make the brownie base, swirl in the dulce de leche as instructed in the recipe card, and bake according to the package directions.