Salted Caramel Brownies

Hi Friends!

I'm back.  I hope that you have all been doing well, and I can't wait to catch up with all of you!

One of the fun things that we did on our break was a trip to Chicago.  We visited with some dear friends.  I brought these brownies for dessert the evening we arrived.  They seemed to be a hit!  If you like chocolate and caramel I think you will love these.  Give them a try. Have a super weekend!

Salted Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature (make sure the cream is warm enough, or when you add it to the caramel it will harden)

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking as the sugar begins to melt. Some of the sugar will harden into clumps, but that’s okay – it will melt eventually – just keep whisking. Continue to cook the sugar until it reaches a dark amber color. At that point, whisk in the salt, and then add the butter all at once and whisk until it is completely incorporated into the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the heavy cream (it will foam up when first added). Continue to whisk until it forms a smooth sauce.
Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before using in the brownies. The leftover sauce can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (You’ll probably need to warm it up a bit straight from the refrigerator.)

Brownies

7 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons  dutch process cocoa powder
3 eggs
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4- 1/2 cup toasted pecans chopped
Salted Caramel Sauce (see the recipe above)
Coarse sea salt

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 9 -inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with overlapping pieces of foil and spray the foil.

2. In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture; then stir in the flour until just combined. Pour about half of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan and spread into the corners. Spoon 9 dollops of Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter ( I guessed on what the size of a dollop was and used a spoon that you would eat soup with). Top with the remaining brownie mixture, spread into the corners and level the surface with a spatula. Again, spoon 9 dollops of the Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. With a dull butter knife, gently run it through the batter to swirl the batter just a bit (don’t do it too much or it will all mix together). Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top.

4. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. I kept my brownies in the pan, and cut what as we eat them.

Source:  Brown-eyed Baker via Baking Illustrated