dulce de leche stuffed mexican dark chocolate chip cookies
Hide these well lest the Cookie Monster – the actual big blue guy or one under your bed or a known inhabitant of your household – gobbles the whole batch up at once.
A cookie with a kick, are these Dulce de Leche Stuffed Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you’ve never enjoyed any type of Mexican chocolate, be it a solid bar or a hot cocoa variety, you’re in for a real treat. Scented with cinnamon and, in this riff, hot cayenne pepper, it’s a twist you’ll come to adore and might float its way into any chocolate creation to attempt.
I actually once drank a Mexican chocolate peanut butter stout, and it was just as exotic and appealing as you might imagine. Smooth, creamy, just hinted enough with the cinnamon undertone, like a Reese’s with a nip. I wish I could find that brewery’s cans around here, because my larders would be stacked with their flavors.
Yes yes, these cookies will be part of my 2021 cookie box once that’s fully created! They have to be. Possibly my favorite little sweet round beauty of all the cookies I’ve made, and Butterscotch Snickerdoodles were pretty damn awesome.
La Dulce Vida
What is dulce de leche? Milk-based caramel, effectively. Traditional dulce is cooked over many hours, so I avoid that process and buy a can of whatever brand I find in stores. All the ones I’ve tried are worthy of culinary uses.
Open up your can of dulce and prepare a small baking sheet with parchment. Scoop out 1 teaspoon sized amounts and plop onto the baking sheet. Once you’ve gathered 24 portions, set the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes. Take them out, roll into more cohesive balls, and set back in the freezer.
Find yourself with about 1/3 cup or so of dulce left? No sweat, it gets used later.
And now, it’s dough time.
Eggs and Butter in the Kitchen…
…Something’s about to be bitchin’. That’s what they say, anyway.
Grab your room temperature butter, brown sugar, and white sugar, and set into a bowl. With a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat until creamed and fluffy. Whip in an egg thoroughly, then an egg yolk, and finish with a touch of vanilla. All cookies need vanilla.
Find another bowl big enough to hold shit for your dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, instant espresso (not required, but pushes the chocolate flavor out even more), cinnamon, cayenne pepper, baking soda, and salt.
Dump half the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat until incorporated, then the second half of the flour until just combined. Abandon the blades and, with a spatula, fold in the remaining dulce and dark chocolate chips. Have a taste of the dough. It rocks.
Do You Fold?
Crank the oven to 350 degrees, line a couple baking sheets, and get ready to deal your hand.
Take the dulce de leche balls out of the freezer. Then, scoop about a 1 tablespoon sized ball of cookie dough into your palm and flatten into a disc. Set a dulce ball in the center and fold the cookie dough over and around. Roll into a sphere and set onto the baking sheet. The dough is sticky so be sure to wash your hands between every couple cookies. You want most of the dulce covered, but some will inevitably peak out once the cookies are baked. That is just fine.
Bake each batch of cookies for 8 minutes, then remove the pan and tap against the countertop. Return to the oven for 2 minutes longer. Tap again on the counter and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. This will gradually help the center dough set.
I honestly broke off a small segment of a cookie straight out of the oven and shoved it in my mouth. They’re phenomenal. Whether piping hot or cooled too room temperature, the center is soft and laden with gooey dulce de leche and an intense dark chocolate essence. Grab some milk or coffee for dunking, or just to sip alongside. Oh, and a sprinkle of flaky salt doesn’t hurt either.
Some tips for success:
…Place the dulce de leche balls back in the freezer between batches of cookies so they stay firm.
…If you think the cookies might last beyond a few days (they won’t, but just in case), seal them well and set in the freezer. Honestly, I’d even recommend popping them straight in the fridge if you aren’t eating them right that minute to protect the tender cookies from humidity.
…I really think dark chocolate chips or chunks are essential. Milk chocolate just isn’t the same.
…Don’t set more than six cookie dough balls on a baking sheet at a time. They do spread a touch, and overcrowding the pan will create one mass of cookie rather than cute individual rounds.
Love some dulce de leche? Try the Skillet Dulce de Leche Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie for a girl’s night or a gathering otherwise.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Ingredients
- 1 can dulce de leche
- 12 tbsp butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 1 teaspoon sized balls of dulce de leche and set onto the baking sheet, with a bit of room between each. You will use a bit more than half of the can. Reserve the rest.
- Freeze the dulce balls 15 minutes. Remove from the freezer and roll into more cohesive balls. No need for perfection! Set back in the freezer while you continue with the remaining recipe steps.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Whip in the egg until fully incorporated, then the egg yolk. Beat in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder (if using), cinnamon, cayenne pepper, baking soda, and salt. In two turns, beat into the butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the remaining dulce de leche (about 1/3 cup) and the chocolate chips.
- Scoop a 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoon sized ball of cookie dough into your palm and flatten slightly. Set a frozen dulce de leche ball in the center and press the dough to cover the ball. Roll between your palms into a sphere. This dough is somewhat sticky, so you may have to wash your hands frequently. Or lick them. Then wash them. Set the dough balls on the baking sheet, no more than 6 at a time. In between batches of cookies, set the dulce de leche balls back in the freezer.
- Bake cookies for 8 minutes. Tap the pan against the countertop to flatten the tops, then bake an additional 2-3 minutes until the edges are set but the center is still doughy. Let cool on the baking sheet – cookies will continue to cook gently. Serve warm, or seal in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, or 3 months in the freezer.
