Mexican Brownies with Dulce de Leche

For the brownies:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8″x8″ baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, letting the edges hang over the sides. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and chili powder. Stir until combined and set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until creamy. Add in eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition. Add in vanilla extract and gradually add in flour mixture until just blended. Gently stir in chopped chocolate.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until tester comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

To dust brownies (optional), stir together confectioners sugar and cinnamon and dust over brownies to serve. Top with dulce de leche.

For the dulce de leche:
Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Pour condensed milk in a oven safe pan, add a pinch of salt and tightly wrap with aluminum foil. Place in a large roaster and fill roaster with water until about halfway up the sides of baking dish to create a water bath.

Place in oven for 1-1 1/2 hours, checking periodically to fill with more water if needed. It is done when it is brown and caramelized. Remove from oven to cool.

Stir mixture and pour into storage container and refrigerate until ready to use. Warm mixture before using by microwaving it or placing in a simmering water bath to reheat.