Salted Caramel Brownies

Salted caramel seems to be somewhat of a craze lately-it's everywhere from restaurant menus to bakeries to cookbooks.  A few months ago, I was loving the salted caramel mocha at Starbucks, but sadly that's off the menu now.  When I saw this recipe for Salted Caramel Brownies in Ina Garten's Foolproof cookbook, I knew I had to make them.  Matt is not a real big fan of salted caramel anything, so I used a recent work lunch as an excuse to make these.

The topping is definitely what makes these brownies really stand out-the combination of the sea salt and caramel is heavenly-I love the way the sweet and salty complement each other so perfectly-the salted caramel just seems to make these brownies seem a little more "special" than your standard brownie.  With the salted caramel topping aside-the brownie itself was also a really good, rich brownie and relatively easy to make. 

Salted Caramel Brownies

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
8 ounces plus 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 to 6 ounces caramel sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons flaked sea salt


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x 12 x 1 1/2-inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, combine and melt the butter, 8 ounces of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate-this can either be done in the microwave or over a simmering pot of water.  Allow mixture  to cool for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature (this step is very important!) 

In a medium bowl, sift together 1/2 cup of the flour, the baking powder, and salt; add to the chocolate mixture. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and then add to the chocolate mixture. Stir lightly to combine and spread evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake!

As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, if necessary, place the jar of caramel sauce without the lid in a microwave and heat just until it's pourable. Stir until smooth. Drizzle the caramel evenly over the hot brownies and sprinkle with the sea salt. Cool completely and cut into bars.


Source: Slightly adapted from Barefoot Contessa's Foolproof