Monday, October 19, 2015

Salted Caramel Brownies

Ok, I just have to be honest. I actually said the word luscious when making these babies. Don't look at this recipe if you feel guilty when you think about ingesting butter. It's not going to be a good ending when you see the amount of butter in these....

BUT, if you're going to share the love, then by all means stick with me. I made these for our monthly family dinner and everyone loved them, adults and kids alike. Well, except for Q...she didn't like her first taste of chocolate. Who boy, I'm not sure if she takes after me, because chocolate and I have always had a good relationship. Maybe not healthy, but I'm giving dark chocolate a chance, so these brownies have antioxidant powers. That's right, they are good for you! Kind of. Maybe it balances it out the butter, sort of.

Anyways, sometimes you need a little guilty pleasure, and it's best if you're sharing. Then everyone else can feel guilty with you. Totally worth it.

On to the recipe. I combined some recipes and took away some ingredients. It all depends what you are looking for. When I think of salted caramel, I want to taste the salt.

So here is my salted caramel brownie recipe:

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup crushed pretzels
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter

Brownies:
8 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Caramel Sauce:
30 caramel candies
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp water

Chocolate Sauce:
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp water


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a 13"x 9" glass baking dish and set aside. Mix the crust ingredients until mixed thoroughly and butter has moistened all the dry ingredients evenly. Press the crust into the bottom of the greased baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.







2. Melt the chocolate, butter and water over low heat, mixing until melted. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

3. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, mixing at a low speed until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until smooth.

4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and cinnamon and whisk until evenly combined. Add half of dry ingredients into wet, then mix until combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix.

5. Spread the brownie batter on top of the pretzel crust, evenly spread it out. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the middle of the brownies and check for wetness. If comes out coated, bake for an extra minute or two and recheck. If dry, pull out and cool.

6. On low heat, melt caramel candies, butter and water until smooth. Using a spoon, drizzle caramel to your heart's content over the brownies. If you like, poke holes into the brownies for the caramel to drain into. Sprinkle kosher salt over the caramel sauce while still warm.

7. On low heat, melt the chocolate, butter and water until smooth. If the sauce is too thick to drizzle easily, you can add more butter and water in small quantities, or you can use a plastic bag to pipe onto the brownies. This step is optional, but tasty.

You must taste test while warm with some vanilla ice cream. That is not optional. :)

This is a great dessert for a potluck, family gathering, or bake sale. Or for when you just want some salted caramel brownies! My mom and hubby have a penchant for salted caramel, so they loved these brownies.



No comments:

Post a Comment