By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 3, 2026
Serves 24
88 cal · 60 min
Milk Chocolate Dulce de Leche Bars
Recipe GLPRf95c895eb6eef8
Rich and decadent layered bars featuring a coconut-brown sugar crust, homemade dulce de leche middle layer, and smooth milk chocolate topping. These indulgent treats combine buttery texture, caramel sweetness, and chocolate in every bite.
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Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 bag milk chocolate chips
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded coconut, all purpose flour, packed light brown sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Whisk together until evenly distributed.
In a small saucepan, melt the softened butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Once fully melted, remove from heat and pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir and mix until the mixture resembles wet sand and comes together as a crumbly dough.
Press the crumbly dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared 9x13 inch baking pan, using the bottom of a measuring cup to create an even, compact layer.
Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until the edges turn light golden brown and the top appears lightly set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
While the crust cools, prepare the dulce de leche layer. In a medium saucepan, combine the sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons of butter, and the light corn syrup. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, for approximately 5 minutes. The mixture should transform into a deep beige color and will thicken slightly as it heats.
Carefully pour the warm dulce de leche mixture over the cooled crust, spreading it evenly to the edges with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the dulce de leche layer turns light golden brown and small bubbles appear on the surface. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely until the filling has set and is no longer sticky, about 30 minutes or longer.
Once the dulce de leche layer is fully set, melt the milk chocolate chips using a double boiler: place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water), add the chocolate chips, and stir occasionally until completely melted and smooth.
Pour the melted milk chocolate over the cooled bars and spread evenly with an offset spatula or back of a spoon, working quickly before the chocolate sets. Allow the chocolate to cool and harden completely before cutting into 24 squares.
Comments
This is a straightforward shortbread bar that requires nothing exotic; all ingredients are on standard shelves at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, or Walmart, and the coconut is optional or assumes shredded varieties already carried. The stated 60 minutes is honest—about 15 minutes of mixing and pressing, 30–35 minutes baking, and the rest cooling before cutting—so prep won't blindside a weeknight cook. At roughly 35–45 cents per bar depending on chocolate and butter prices, it's a reasonable homemade treat, though the condensed milk and chocolate chips add up slightly. The batch makes 24 servings, which is genuinely useful for a family dessert or to share, and the bars reheat fine or eat cold, making them forgiving leftovers. The main friction is that this is a sweet, indulgent bar without much nutritional anchor, so it works best as an occasional treat rather than a staple, and the cooking method (bake a full sheet, cool, cut) means no real attention once in the oven.
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