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Jump to recipeThese caramelly, oat-y squares will become a favorite sweet treat fast.
Bonus: more ideas for using dulce de leche in recipes!
Dulce de leche is a thick, rich, decadent caramel that folks in Latin America have been enjoying since sometime in the 1800s. Thank you Latin America, we owe you a debt of gratitude.
Today I’m sharing several ways that I like to use this amazing ingredient AND a recipe for one of my family’s favorites!
Caramelly Goodness
You can find cans of dulce de leche in two places in your grocery. Sometimes it is next to cans of sweetened condensed milk. Other times it is in the Hispanic foods section.
The first time I used this caramelly delight was in yummy sandwich cookies called Alfajores.
I love themed entertaining. And every few months, I host a Girls Movie Night at my house for my nieces and some of the younger ladies at my church. I try to pick films they haven’t seen.
We try to theme our snacks to the movie, so when we watched Evita, Argentinian Alfajores caught my eye. I saw many variations, but at its simplest, it’s dulce de leche sandwiched between small sugar cookies.
Click here to get the recipe for these dulce de leche sandwich cookies.
More Dulce de Leche
After going head over heels for the cookies, I was on the lookout for more ways to use my new favorite ingredient.
Dropping blobs on top of your favorite brownie batter and giving a little swirl is delicious.
Adding it to homemade ice cream? Decadent!
But my (maybe, I haven’t decided) favorite way to bake with Dulce de Leche is in this oatmeal cookie bar I found over at Crazy for Crust.
I have some in my home who don’t think they like oatmeal, so when a recipe calls for oats, I frequently give it a little grind in my blender/food processor to make oat flour. I have made this recipe both ways – with straight oats and with oat flour – and everyone enjoys them both ways. The straight oats version does have a bit more ‘oaty’ texture, as you’d imagine, although using quick-cooking oats minimizes that.
These are “hide them from the kids” good.
They are “we cut and ration how many each person gets” good.
They are “I actually close my eyes to savor how good these are” good.
==> And they are SO EASY!
Have you tried Dulce de Leche?
Dulce de Leche: Caramel Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups oats (or grind into oat flour)
- 1 can Dulce de Leche
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Cream butter and sugar together
- Add egg and vanilla
- Add baking soda, salt, flour and oats
- Press half of the mixture into a square baking pan
- Place your dulce de leche into a microwaveable bowl and heat it just until spreadable (about 45-60 seconds)
- Spread the dulce de leche over the bottom layer of dough (try to leave a small border around the edges)
- Using two spoons, or your fingers, drop small pieces of the remaining dough over the top and press lightly. (It won't completely cover)
- Bake for 23-28 minutes, until the top is golden brown. It should still be a bit jiggly
- Let the bars cool completely before slicing.
The cookies were the best ever…..until I tried the oatmeal bars. Wow! I close my eyes, too! Two wonderful new favorites for me!
They are decadent, that’s for sure!
Is there a dulce de leche recipe here? I can’t see one and I really do want to try making it. What do you use, Susan?
I’ve never made it myself. I buy it at the grocery in one of two places: near the sweetened condensed milk, or in the Hispanic foods section. The recipes I’ve seen for making it yourself involve boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk.
What size pan do you use?
I use a square pan, 8×8.
This is probably my all time favorite dessert. I absolutely love the alfajores, but I don’t like to make cookies as they are putsy, so I usually only have them when someone else makes them. The amazing gooey deliciousness of this dessert and the simpleness of it being a bar is perfect for me!
Preach!
Do these cookie bars need to be stored in the fridge? And how long would they keep for? (That’s if they aren’t all eaten in the first day!)
We don’t store them in the fridge. They will definitely last several days (if you do!)
Thank you Susan! Can’t wait to make them!!