These mini brownie bites with salted dulce de leche may be small, but they are packed with rich and decadent chocolate flavor and creamy dulce de leche topped with a vanilla bean infused fleur de sel. 

So today is the day we get to -finally- share our cookies for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! This is my second year doing the cookie swap and I couldn’t have been more excited! I knew one of the bloggers that I was matched with, but the other two were completely new to me which was great because I love learning about new blogs.

What I love about the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap is the charitable aspect of it. In order to join, we must donate a small amount to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer which is something I am very passionate about. It’s so great that we are all able to come together and give back during this time of year.

My original idea for my swap cookies were actually not these brownie bites, but instead to do chocolate macarons. As you know, I’ve just learned how to make plain macarons, but I’ve never tried my hand at making chocolate macarons. I figured I could simply replace a bit of the powdered sugar with my favorite Dutch-processed cocoa. So while making the cookies, I began weighing my cocoa into the food processor when I slipped and accidentally added waaaaaay too much cocoa powder. I figured I’d put them in the oven and see what happens anyway.

They definitely don’t taste like macarons. They taste much, much better. Rich, decadent soft chocolate bites of brownie. Seriously, these are the perfect chocolate brownie bites for the ultimate chocolate lover. You don’t need them to be any bigger because of how packed full of flavor each cookie is. To contrast that rich chocolate, I decided to pair it with a lusciously creamy dulce de leche which is something I don’t keep around much because I can eat it by the spoonful if you let me. Dulce de leche can get a little sweet, especially with the brownies, so I added a touch of my favorite vanilla infused fleur de sel.

These mini brownie bites are the perfect little bites with your coffee or tea and make a great addition to your cookie platter. I mean, come on. Chocolate, almonds, and salted dulce de leche? Yum!

Mini Brownie Cookies with Salted Dulce de Leche

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Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup Duitch processed cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup dulce de leche
• fleur de sel

Instructions

1. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the granulated sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, almond flour, cocoa, and salt and mix well.
2. Leave to sit uncovered for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your baking sheets by lining with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Fit a piping bag with a round tip. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
3. Fill the piping bag with the batter and then drop 1-inch rounds on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10 - 11 minutes, turning halfway. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.
5. Place a small dollop of dulce de leche on top of half the cookies. Sprinkle fleur de sel over the dule de leche and top with the remaining brownie cookies.