Salted Caramel Brownies

Happy Easter!!! Hope you are all enjoying your long weekend. Being easter and with all the chocolate flying around I thought I would share my salted caramel brownie recipe. Indulgent, gooey and chocolatey – perfect Easter weekend treat.

Brownies to me are the most comforting kind of bake. When I was little I would always help my mum with the brownies (and by help I mean lick out the bowl). My brother always helped with the chocolate chip cookies but my favourite was always brownies. What I love about brownies now (although licking the bowl out is still high up on the list of priorities) is that they are quick to put together and the satisfaction factor is so high! Brownies never cease to please other people as well, generally people get pretty excited about brownies. The other weekend, I was not feeling myself so I set about making some brownies to cheer myself up (works every time by the way) but thought I would add some salted caramel because currently I cannot get enough of chocolate with salted caramel! I made three batches of these to get the recipe just right and these have gone down a treat at work, home and Dave’s office. The brownies fill the house with amazing smells and I couldn’t wait to dive straight in there and eat them straight out of the tin. These are not for the faint hearted they are gooey, chocolatey and lets be honest a bit sickly but then I think that is what you should expect from a brownie such as this.

As I mentioned before I am such a sucker for salted caramel at the moment, thinking about it going with everything. I think it pretty much does go with everything right? I made a chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream the other week, so good, watch this space for that recipe which will be coming to you soon, I just need to get that buttercream recipe right and then I promise I will post it. My love of salted caramel started with a Paul A. Young award winning salted caramel chocolate, my first one of those and I was hooked. If you have not had chance to try Paul Young’s chocolates I implore you to go treat yourself.  I have also recently discover salted caramel ice cream – I know, I know where have I been! I have been asking myself the same question don’t worry.

So back to these brownies. I am not sure word will justify these bad boys, just have a look at the photos. are they indulgent? Yes. Are they chocolatey? Yes. Are they gooey? Yes. If you have not made caramel before, this is a good time to start. The amount of caramel you need to make is relatively small and I used a medium sized saucepan, so there is plenty of space between you and the hot sugar (from a safety point of view this is important you do not want that hot sugar anywhere near you, been there done that and got the scars to prove it).

Get everything ready around you in advance for this, as there are quite a few steps and it is just easier if everything you need is on hand.

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Salted Caramel Brownies

Ingredients:

Salted Caramel

• 100g Light muscovado sugar
• 75ml Double cream
• 40g Unsalted butter
• 1/2tsp Sea salt flakes (I used Maldon)

Brownies

• 200g Dark chocolate (I would recommend 70% cocoa)
• 125g Unsalted butter
• 2 Large free range eggs
• 125g Soft light brown sugar
• 1tsp Vanilla extract
• 2tbsp Milk
• 175g Plain flour
• 1tbsp Cocoa powder

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 170°c and line a 20x20cm tin with baking parchment
2. First make the caramel. Put the sugar, salt and butter in a heavy based saucepan and turn it on a medium heat. Once it starts bubbling it will take between 4 and 5 minutes to get to the desired caramelisation. Do not stir the caramel mixture, gently swirl it to allow the melted sugar onto the still solid sugar but then leave it alone.
3. Once caramelised take the saucepan off the heat and get a whisk (silicone or metal) and gently start stirring the mixture and slowly start to pour the double cream in (it is important you do this slowly otherwise you will end up with a big toffee like lump on the end of your whisk). Once nicely combined set aside.
4. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a barely simmering saucepan of water (making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water). Once melted put it to the side for 5 minutes to cool a little.
5. Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla together until it is thick, frothy and pale in colour (milky coffee kind of colour).
6. Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate to the egg mixture and whisk until combined then add the milk to loosen the batter slightly.
7. Sift the flour and cocoa powder in batches folding it in gently as you go until all the flour is incorporated.
8. Pour the brownie mix into the prepared tin and level it out.
9. Our the salted caramel over the top and using a knife swirl it through the top of the brownie.
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes. You want the brownie to remain gooey and because of the caramel a skewer will not come out totally clean. The edges should be dry and starting to come away from the side of the tin. It will continue to cook for a few minutes once it comes out of the oven.
11. Take out of the oven and place on a wire rack, letting it cool in the tin.