Pecan and Dulce de Leche Brownies

Happy New Year everyone! I've finally decided to come out of hibernation; the past week was brutally cold. Like throwback to college cold. There are definitely parts of college I want to relive but I can do without the -10 weather. I once read somewhere that you should start the New Year off with something sweet for good luck. Sure, we could all use a little luck this year but with the plateful of brownies sitting in front of me, I think I'm due for a lucky decade. And maybe a cavity or two, eek.

My go to brownie recipe is this one here from a Food Network Magazine insert years ago. The only info missing is to put the oven at 325 and spray a 13 by 9 baking pan.

This is blank canvas, put whatever you like on this recipe and it will be a hit.

If you've followed all the instructions, you'll get something like this,

Sauce pan brownies are back in style.

Then fold in a cup of pecans,

I used raw pecans so they wouldn't dry out.

Then I took this dulce de leche that a student gifted to me and gobbed it on (with a tablespoon) in a straight line,

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Take a knife and use the tip to swirl the dulce de leche into a marbleized pattern and top with chopped pecans like so,

Ready for the oven!

Bake for 40-43 minutes depending on your oven. Top with finishing salt and let cool. They may appear slightly undercooked but it's just the dulce de leche. Slice 'em up and serve along side a healthy squeeze of whipped cream and top with cinnamon.

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Here's to a FEW years of good luck! Until the next dish, ciao!