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High altitude makes cookies spread in the pan, cakes fall, and few baked goods turn out as they do at sea level. This twice-monthly column presents recipes and tips that make baking in the mountains successful. 

Smooth, caramel-like dulce de leche, crowned with dark chocolate, and cradled on a buttery shortbread base… these sweet, rich bars, with strong contrasting textures and tastes, are about as lush as you can get. In spite of their star qualities, they’re surprisingly easy to make. Only the crust needs baking, and the filling and topping come together quickly. What matters? Make sure your dulce de leche is thick and flavorful and use high quality dark chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate is a perfect foil for the sweet filling, but semisweet will work as well. The cornstarch used in the base makes it tender but if you don’t have any, you can substitute 3 more tablespoons of flour. 

Dulce de Leche Bars 

Make in a 9×9 shiny metal baking pan. Recipe works at any elevation

Crust

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• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour, spoon and level  
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, preferably superfine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

Filling

14 ounces (one can) thick Dulce De Leche 

Topping

• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped fine 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into small pieces

Get ready: Line a 9-by-9 inch baking pan with nonstick or regular aluminum foil. Grease the regular foil and any exposed parts of the pan with a baking spray that contains flour. Set the pan aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center position.

Make the crust: Put the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the butter, cut into 8 pieces, and the vanilla and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. To make the crust with a mixer or by hand: Use room temperature butter and beat it with the sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla. Combine the flour mixture and salt. At low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just crumbly. Pat the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. 

Bake the crust: Place it in the oven and bake until the edges start to turn color, and the dough is firm and set, 13-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely. The crust can be stored, covered, at room temperature for a day. 

.Prepare the filling: If the Dulce de Leche is too hard to work with in the container, spoon it into a bowl and stir it so it’s soft and flowing enough to spread. If necessary, warm it slightly at a low temperature in a microwave oven. Spread it on the cooled crust to one-quarter inch from the pan sides. Cover the pan loosely and refrigerate until the filling is firm, at least an hour and up to overnight. 

Make the topping: Melt the chocolate, either in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water or by microwaving at a low power level for about 1-2 minutes. If you use a microwave, check after one minute. Remove the bowl of chocolate from the heat when there are still a few lumps visible and stir until the chocolate is totally melted and smooth. Add the room-temperature butter and stir until the butter is completely melted and the mixture is shiny. Spread it over the chilled dulce de leche and let the chocolate set up so it’s firm. 

Cut into bars, store, and serve: If the chocolate has been refrigerated and is cold, it may break as you cut it, so don’t cut the slab until it’s almost at room temperature, then use a thin-bladed sharp knife, pressing straight down, to make the bars. Serve them immediately or refrigerate them, covered, for up to 3 days. They’re good at room temperature or chilled. 

Vera Dawson’s column “High Country Baking” publishes biweekly in the Summit Daily News. Dawson is a high-elevation baking instructor and author of three high-altitude cookbooks. Her recipes have been tested in her kitchen in Frisco, where she’s lived since 1991, and altered until they work at elevation. Contact her at veradawson1@gmail.com.