Salted Caramel Brownies
In addition to it being Valentine’s Day tomorrow, and Pancake/Shrove Tuesday, it is also my husband’s birthday. We decided to forego the usual cake and everyone was happier for it! In my strong opinion, cake is the most overrated dessert. Traditional birthday cakes are usually dry (cupcakes even more so!), the flavours tend to be one-dimensionally sweet, and even the smallest cake just leaves too many leftovers that sit for days at my house before they are inevitably thrown out, which is all the more depressing given the amount of effort put into a birthday cake, layers, and levelling, and icing. Enough! We need more birthday pie, birthday ice cream sundaes, and definitely more of these birthday brownies, which are fudgey, dark and salty. There are rarely leftovers, and even if there are, these brownies freeze beautifully, broken up into pieces to be added to your next ice cream sundae. Yes please.
In an ode to Valentine’s Day, I used a cookie cutter to make these brownies into heart shapes. This is completely unnecessary. The brownies are delicious as squares or really chunks/pieces broken off while waiting for them to cool.
The brownie batter is a one-bowl recipe that comes together quickly and easily. The caramel is slightly more work, but don’t shy away. The key is to watch it. Seriously- do not step away or get distracted. Rotate the pan as the sugar melts, to keep things even. Stir ever so slightly, but only if necessary to help the sugar melt evenly.
The salted caramel can be made the day before, refrigerated, and added to the brownie batter afterwards. The brownies can be kept in a sealed container on the counter for up to 3 days, or for 6 months in the freezer.
Salted Caramel Brownies
Smitten Kitchen
Makes one 8 x 8 pan of brownies which can be cut into 16 two-inch squares, smaller squares, or cut into your favourite shapes.
Caramel
½ cup granulated sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp heavy cream
Brownie
3 ounces (85 grams) unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 stick (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup (85 grams) all-purpose flour
Make Caramel:
Set a square of parchment paper over a medium sized plate. Lightly coat the parchment with cooking spray.
In a medium, dry saucepan over medium-high heat, melt your sugar. This will take approximately 5 minutes. Rotate the pan if necessary to prevent one side from cooking faster and stir, only if necessary, to break up large chunks. By the time the sugar has melted it should be a nice copper colour. If not continue cooking until it is. Be careful not to over cook- this can go from copper to burnt very quickly!
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until incorporated. Stir in the cream and return the saucepan to the stove over medium-high heat, bringing it back to a simmer and melted again if any areas solidified. Cook the caramel for a few minutes more, until it is a shade darker.
Pour out onto the parchment-covered plate and transfer to your freezer. Freeze until solidified, generally about 30 minutes. Note: you can transfer it to the fridge and leave it overnight. Once the caramel has solidified, you can proceed to make your brownies.
Make your Brownies:
Heat the oven to 350F. Line an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan with parchment, extending it up two sides and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium heat proof bowl over gentle simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together until only a couple unmelted bits remain. Off the heat, stir until smooth and fully melted. Whisk in the sugar, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour with a spoon or flexible spatula.
Assemble:
When the caramel is firm, remove it from the freezer and chop into roughly 1-inch squares. Gently fold all but a small amount of caramel bits into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading until it is (mostly) even. Scatter the remaining caramel bits on top. Bake in a heated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool thoroughly and cut into squares or other desired shapes.