Salted Dulce Bars
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Butter and flour pulse into a crumbly base. Eggs and vanilla pull the dough together. Chill for easier handling. Press most dough as bottom layer; slice thin or work like puzzle pieces to ease sticky frustration. Toss a bit of flour and brown sugar in leftover dough for crumbly topping. Spread rich, dark dulce de leche then crumble topping on. Bake low and slow until bubbling caramel darkens and crumbs toast golden. Salt flakes on top cut sweetness. Lift whole slab out, slice warm with hot knife for clean bars. Room temp storage fine for days but best fresh. Texture ranges creamy sweet with crunchy buttery edges.
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
35 min
Total:
55 min
Servings:
16 servings
#Latin-American
#baking
#caramel bars
#crumb bars
#dessert
Dulce de leche bars have that addictive clingy, sticky chew but with buttered crumb balanced out by salt. I’ve battled dough that sticks to knives, ovens that char edges but leave middle wet. This method? Chilling dough to manipulate it like dough puzzle pieces works wonderfully. Instead of pouring the crumb topping on or trying to roll it smooth, tossing it crumbly keeps it rustic and lets the caramel shine from underneath. Watch bubbling caramel color, don’t wait blindly by timer. It tells you when it’s done. Salty flakes hit at the end bring this over the edge. Tried replacing one cup flour with oat flour once to add nuttiness — worth trying.
Ingredients
- 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter cubed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup dulce de leche
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- flaky sea salt for topping (optional)
- cooking spray
- parchment paper
About the ingredients
Flour and butter ratio controls crumb. Using cold butter critical—warm butter makes dense, greasy base. If no food processor, rub butter into flour mix with fingertips till pea-sized crumbs form, a bit more work but doable. Substitute coconut sugar for brown sugar topping for subtle earthiness. Eggs bind but adding one extra egg yolk chills creaminess and helps pull dough cohesively. Vanilla extract is flexible—almond or orange zest bring interesting twists. Careful with dulce de leche quality since caramel flavor front and center. Thick but spreadable, not runny or granulated; homemade or store bought both work. Salt flakes optional but recommended; balance sweet stickiness.
Method
- Start with flour, baking powder, salt, sugar in food processor. Pulse 4 times. Add cold cubed butter. Pulse 20 seconds till crumbly but starting to bind.
- Drop eggs, vanilla in. Pulse few more times. Dough should pull away from sides, tacky but not wet.
- Turn out on floured surface. Roll lightly to form disc. Wrap tight. Chill at least 40 minutes. Less chilling means stickier, slicing tough. Chill longer if possible.
- Prep 9x13 dish with spray. Line bottom and sides with parchment paper, letting excess hang over edges for easy lift out.
- Preheat oven 345°F. Rack low in oven so caramel bubbles but crust doesn’t burn.
- Take chilled dough. For bottom layer, slice thin or pinch off pieces. Press 3/4 dough evenly on base. Thin slices fit better than big chunks for even bake and fewer cracks.
- Leftover dough gets tossed with flour, brown sugar until crumbly, dry. No need to smooth this. Clumpy textures make rustic topping.
- Spread dulce de leche evenly on bottom crust. Skip spreading to edges to avoid overflow bubbling.
- Sprinkle crumbly top dough unevenly. Won’t cover all surface but looks rustic. Crumbs brown; caramel glistens underneath.
- Bake 25 to 32 minutes until dulce caramel darkens color, bubbles merrily, topping golden but not burnt.
- Pull from oven. Let cool fully. Filling thickens, set. Warm bars slice messy or squish.
- Optional sprinkle flaky sea salt before slicing to cut sweetness punch.
- Use parchment edges to lift slabs whole onto cutting board. Hot water dipped sharp knife slices clean bars. Wipe and reheat knife between cuts. No sawing, just slicing.
- Store airtight room temp max 5 days. Best within 24 hours when edges crisp, filling soft and chewy.
Cooking tips
Food processor pulses QUICKLY combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar so avoid over-mixing or flour turns tough. Butter must be very COLD to keep crumbs light. After adding eggs and vanilla, pulse briefly. Dough will be sticky but firm enough to handle once chilled. Chill important; skip and dough smears, cutting nightmare. When pressing base, thin slices fit flush better than big chunks pressed raw or melting patches. Add flour and sugar to remaining dough to get crumbly topping — no smooth pat layer here. Baking low and at oven rack bottom catches bubbling but prevents excess browning. Watch caramel change color and bubble pop rhythm. Bars slice best warm but not hot; heat knife clean and dry often for sharp cuts. Store airtight or bars get chewy and soggy.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Butter must be really cold. If warm, crumbs go greasy and dense. Use cubes, pulse quickly. Overmix flour and sugar make tough base. Pulse 4 times then add butter. Patience here pays off with brittle crumbs not wet mess.
- 💡 Chill dough at least 40 minutes. Less chill? Sticky dough, messy slicing. Chill longer, dough sets up better, slice neat. Dough feels tacky but should pull clean from sides of processor. If too wet add tiny flour pinch before pressing base.
- 💡 Slice dough thin for base layer. Big chunks bake uneven, crack. Thin slices press flush, avoid bubbles under caramel. Use floured surface to roll, keep dusting handy. Wrap tight or skin forms, dries out edges during chill.
- 💡 Mix leftover dough with flour and brown sugar for topping. Don’t try to smooth. Clumpy uneven crumbs brown rustic, not cakey crust. Spread topping unevenly over dulce. Caramel bubbles under, crumbs toast golden, stop before burn spots.
- 💡 Bake on lowest rack. Oven hot spots char edges while center stays wet. 345°F is target temp. Watch caramel color and bubble rhythm. Bubbles popping faster mean almost done. Don’t rely on timer alone, sensory cues tell all.
Common questions
Can I substitute butter?
Cold unsalted crucial. Margarine or warm butter mess texture. Coconut oil might work but changes flavor, crumb density. Butter flavor key to crumb crunch and caramel balance.
Can I skip chilling step?
Nope, dough too sticky. Chilling firms dough, easier pressing, cleaner slicing. Shorter chill means dough sticks, smears knife. If rushed, freeze 10 minutes but expect edges less crisp.
How to fix sticky dough?
Add flour in tiny amounts to sticky dough before pressing. Cold dough easier to work with. If too wet, crumbs won’t bake crisp. Chill longer or dust surface flour when shaping if needed.
Best way to store bars?
Airtight container room temp max 5 days. Refrigerate and bars harden, chewy inside toughens. Freeze wrapped well for longer. Reheat in warm oven briefly or microwave loosely covered before slicing for softer texture.
