Salted dulce de leche crumble bars

If there is a heaven I am willing to bet that dulce de leche flows freely from the taps. This sweet treat, made by gently heating sweetened condensed milk, is a fancy yet easy addition to almost any baked goods. And here’s a secret – adding a pinch of really good salt makes a good thing even better.

When I say good salt I am absolutely not referring to cooking salt tor table salt. Getting my condiment snob on for a moment, you need a gourmet salt that will improve, not ruin, the taste. Personally, I adore pink salt from either the Murray River in Australia or the Himalayas. Good quality salt costs more but you use only a small amount so it will last a long time.

Good quality salt also improves the taste of savoury food – a perfectly poached egg with a twist of pink salt on toast is one of my fav breakfasts.

You can cheaply and easily make your own dulce de leche, which is what I do. Follow the simple instructions here: https://thehungrymum.com/2015/11/15/boozy-chocolate-bundt-cake-with-dulce-de-leche-from-scratch/

Trust me, you will want to eat this amazing food of the gods straight from the tin. Word of warning – let it cool down first lest you burn your mouth #BeenThereDoneThat

I was inspired by a recipe on the American Heritage Cooking website for this recipe.

GATHER:

225 grams of unsalted butter, diced, room temperature

1 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup icing sugar

2 cups plain flour, sifted

400 grams dulce de leche, either home-made or store bought

1/2 teaspoon best quality salt

LET’S GET TO IT:

Make the dulce de leche: https://thehungrymum.com/2015/11/15/boozy-chocolate-bundt-cake-with-dulce-de-leche-from-scratch/

Preheat oven to 160 C° and grease and line a 9×13 baking tin, allowing paper to overhang on two opposite ends for easy removal.

In an electric beater beat both sugars, butter and vanilla for 3-4 minutes or until pale and fluffy.

With mixer on low slowly add the flour and beat until a pale coloured dough forms.

Using just one third of the dough, gently press into the pan – using a flat bottomed glass can help. Bake for 20 minutes, remove and set aside for 10 minutes.

Pour dulce de leche over the top, then sprinkle over salt evenly, then clump the remaining dough mix into small balls and distribute over the top.

Bake for another 20 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Tags: baking, dulce de leche, easy, food, recipe, salted caramel