dulce de leche filled chocolate cups

I have an aversion to caramel. Well, not eating caramel (I adore it — my teeth don’t — but I do) but making it. I interviewed the guys behind the very delicious Brooklyn bakery, Baked, for a story this past fall and they told me making caramel is kind of like riding a bike. Once you make it right for the first time, you’ll just always know how to do it again.

Right. For them. The professionally published bakers.

Anyway, I mustered up all my courage yesterday to attempt to create David Lebovitz’s Chocolate Covered Salted Peanut Caramel Cups. I was not successful.

I panicked — having only a meat thermometer and having to guesstimate in my head once the temperature rose past 180 — and removed it my caramel from the heat before it browned and fruitlessly whisked in a full cup of heavy cream before admitting defeat.

So with a fridge full of little chocolate cups in mini muffin trays, I did what any sensible amateur cook would do — I made dulce de leche.

I love dulce de leche. It’s one of those incredibly delicious things that is so incredibly delicious because it’s been baking in the oven for a ridiculously long period of time. An hour to an hour and a half until you have something incredible, with a total active time of a mere 5 minutes. And that’s if you have a hand-held can opener like me.

I will definitely be making more of these. The chocolate cups were kind of a pain in the ass but well worth it. And I will make my caramel. I will. Once I buy a proper candy thermometer — I will.

Dulce de Leche Filled Chocolate Cups

2 cups bittersweet chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips, mixed
1 can sweetened condensed milk
sea salt

Preheat oven to 425.
Pour sweetened condensed milk into shallow pie pan and place in a large baking pan.
Top condensed milk with a quick shake of sea salt.
Fill baking pan with water to the midway point of the pie pan.
Cover the pie pan tightly with tin foil and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Allow to cool and whisk dulce de leche until smooth.
Store in airtight container until ready to use.

Slowly melt first half of chocolate chips in microwave on medium heat for one minute, stir.
Microwave again on medium for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until chips have melted smoothly.
Drop a spoonful into the bottom of a mini muffin liner and pull up the sides with a spoon.
Allow filled liners to chill inside mini muffin pan in fridge.
Spoon a full tablespoon of dulce de leche into each chocolate cup.
Chill for an additional half hour.
Melt second half of chocolate and spoon over cups.
Level by gently slapping tins onto table.
Top with a light grind of sea salt.
Chill for one hour before serving.