I know, I know I am totally throwing your New Year’s diet for a loop with these brownies. I may or may not have had one every day last week with some ice cream for a dessert-no big deal. Honestly, I didn’t even feel guilty about it because they hit the spot and cheered me up during the long week. But let’s be real, a gooey chocolate dessert always does.
I have had my eye on these brownies since last year and every time I decided to make them something came up. This time I was not going to let anything interfere with me and these brownies. I also knew that my new lens was arriving soon and these brownies would make the perfect subject for trying it out.
Next time I make them, I need to make sure I don’t use too much brownie batter on the bottom layer. I ended up not having enough for the top and some caramel goodness seeped out the sides, as you can see there was plenty still to go around. The original recipe calls for nuts, but I eliminated them altogether. I like my brownies sans nuts. I also ended up halving the recipe and making them in an 8×8 pan because there is no way I wouldn’t have eaten two of these babies each night. Do not be like me and wait almost a year to make them. Just do it.
Caramel Brownies
Yield: 24+ brownies
Ingredients:
For the brownies:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1½ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
For the caramel filling:
- 14 oz. caramel candies, unwrapped
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray as well. Combine the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completed melted. Whisk or stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt until just combined. Spread about half of the brownie batter in the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer (I wish my bottom layer was a bit smaller than it was). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, keep the oven on, and let cool for 20 minutes.
To make the caramel filling, combine the caramel candies and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Once completely melted, immediately spread the caramel mixture over the bottom brownie layer. Pour the remaining brownie batter over the caramel layer, make sure to spread it evenly otherwise it will be difficult to spread evenly over the caramel layer. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the final brownie layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving.
