Brownie Week Recipe #2: SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES

This is an ooey gooey, super rich and chocolatey, fudgy brownie. The soft salty caramel is the perfect balance to the sweet chocolate.

I adapted the recipe from one I found online - I put in a little more chocolate and added the espresso powder. The small amount of espresso powder doesn't make the brownie taste like coffee, it just makes the chocolate flavor more intense (I learned this tip from Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa). 

Not the simplest recipe to make because you have to also make a salted caramel filling which can be a little tricky if you don't watch the caramel carefully. Just read the directions very carefully before beginning and don't walk away from the pot of sugar and corn syrup, and it will turn out great! Make extra and save it in the refrigerator or freezer to drizzle on top of chocolate cake or ice cream.

Salted Caramel:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/4 cup sour cream

1. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and the salt.  Simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved. set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and corn syrup carefully. Cook over high heat until it is a medium goldish brown – about 6-7 minutes. 

Don't overcook the caramel - it should appear light golden brown when you take it off because it will continue to cook in that pot even after you remove it from the burner. Remove from heat and let cool 1 minute.

3. Then add  the cream mixture and the vanilla to the sugar mixture. Don't worry it is supposed to bubble up and sizzle a bit. Whisk in the sour cream.  Let the caramel cool to room temperature and set aside. Before using caramel strain out any big lumps.

Brownies:

• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup Chocolate Syrup
• half of the caramel recipe

1. Preheat oven to 325F. 

2. Melt chocolate and butter in small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in espresso powder. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

3. In a bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and vanilla, and mix until well combined. Don't whisk in a lot of air -   we are not trying to make a fluffy brownie.

4. Add flour, salt, chocolate syrup and chocolate mixture and blend well.

5. Pour half of the brownie batter into a greased 8×8 pan and bake for 18 minutes.

6. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and pour in the caramel.

7. Then on top of the caramel, add the rest of the brownie batter. Smooth the top and return to oven and bake for another 18-22 minutes.

Don't overbake, even if it appears a little jiggly it is fine, it will firm up after cooling completely. Also, this is a very fudgy, moist brownie recipe so it should not be completely firm when you take it out of the oven. Let cool completely before cutting.

They will be sticky, rich, and delicious!


If you like a less rich recipe try - Dark Chocolate Espresso Brownies- equally yummy but more cake-like, less gooey, and more bittersweet - perfect for coffee-lovers and those who don't like too sweet brownies.

Brownie Week Recipe #1: DARK CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO BROWNIES

Intense flavors of dark chocolate and espresso wrapped into a rich, semi-sweet, cake-like brownie. Perfect for the coffee lover ~ I wrapped up a batch of these in a clear goodie bag and a pretty pink bow for my mom's birthday. They are surprisingly simple to make.

I made this recipe after trying several different recipes and finding that many were too sweet for a dark chocolate lover. I toned down the sugar content, used a more bitter dark chocolate and upped the espresso amount in the recipe. I hope you enjoy it, bon appetit!

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped*
• 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 2 tablespoons espresso powder**
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 

*For the dark chocolate I used Trader Joe's dark chocolate bar (brown wrapping, comes in packs of 3 bars).
**For the espresso powder I use Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso Powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan. (Optional: for easiest removal also line the baking pan with parchment paper leaving the paper hanging over the edges of the pan so you can easily lift out the brownies after baking). Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water. Remove from the heat, stir in the cocoa powder and espresso powder and let cool.
2.  Whisk or sift the flour and the salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs at medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Fold in the melted chocolate and vanilla. Add the flour-salt mixture, folding just until combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
4. Bake the brownies for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.