Recipe: Cinnamon Walnut Dulce de Leche Bars
Do you like dulce de leche? I mean, how could you not. Creamy, rich, and sweet — it’s caramelized milk and sugar with just a hint of tanginess. And these cookie bars are oozing with this Latin American sweet treat — plus just a dash of cinnamon and walnuts.
I adapted these bars from Nick Malgieri’s recipe for Caramel Crumb Bars. These are fabulous (I believe Nick says that if had to choose just one cookie this would be it). But I found the recipe as written slightly confusing and when I made them the caramel filling didn’t turn out as dark and rich as I would like. So I started tweaking.
I added a little more salt to the shortbread base, and some walnuts and cinnamon to the topping. I cooked the filling longer to make sure it darkened into that truly dark and gooey dulce de leche that I loved.
These might still look a little tricky, but they come together incredibly fast. The dough makes the base of the cookies, but then you add a little more butter and flour and make a crumb topping to sprinkle over top as well. I made these twice in the last two days and both times they were very well received! They’re chewy, with a bit of crunch from the walnuts, and gooey in the middle with all that creamy dulce de leche. They are definitely my new favorite go-to dessert!
Cinnamon Walnut Dulce de Leche Bars
Makes 24 bar cookies
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
Filling
- 6 tablespoons
unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon
honey
- 1/4 cup
dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1
(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Cinnamon
Kosher salt
Dough & Crumb Walnut Topping
- 1 1/8 cups
unsalted butter (2 1/4 sticks, or 18 tablespoons), softened and divided
- 3/4 cup
packed dark brown sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons
dark rum, divided
- 2 3/4 cups
all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon
salt
- 2 teaspoons
cinnamon, divided
- 1/2 cup
walnuts, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup
dulce de leche, to serve (optional)
Instructions
Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and then line the pan with parchment paper so the ends hang over the long sides.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and then line the pan with parchment paper so the ends hang over the long sides.
Make the dough: While the filling is simmering, make the dough. Beat 1 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon rum in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in 2 1/4 cups flour, the salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir just until a soft dough forms and the dough pulls away from the bowl.
Pat 3/4 of the dough into the prepared baking pan. Pat and spread it into an even layer. Pour the finished filling over the dough and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly.
Make the crumb walnut topping: Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour to the dough that is left in the bowl. Add the walnuts, the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon, and the remaining 1 tablespoon rum. Drop in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and use your fingers to mix everything together until it forms soft, clumpy crumbs.
Sprinkle these crumbs over the filling in the pan. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.
Remove and let cool for 15 minutes. The use the parchment paper ends to lift the cookies out of the pan and place them on a rack to finish cooling.
Serve at room temperature or slightly warm. If desired, you can drizzle warm dulce de leche over the bars before serving. Slice into 2-inch squares to serve.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Nick Malgieri's The Modern Baker, via Smells Like Home
More Bar Cookie Recipes
• Sour Cream Raisin Bars
• Nanaimo Bars
• Halfway Cookies
• Raspberry Hungarian Pastry
(Images: Faith Durand)