Salted caramel sandwiched in the middle of the perfect fudgy brownie.
Thick, sticky and decadent - these are one of my go-to bakes to gift friends. They're easy to make with minimal washing up, they look impressive and taste even better!
Total time to make : 55 minutes Time to prep : 15 minutes
Time to bake : 40 minutes
Servings : 24
Ingredients
280g unsalted butter
280g dark (70%) chocolate
420g white caster sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1½ tsp vanilla essence or paste
140g plain flour
60g cocoa powder (dutch-processed is best)
450g of salted caramel *
* or use jarred and shop-bought salted caramel or dulce de leche, adding in flaked sea salt at stage 5 to taste
Method
Preheat a fan oven to 160C and lightly grease and line a 13 x 9 inch baking tin with non-stick baking paper
In a small saucepan over a low heat, gently melt the butter and dark chocolate together, stirring occasionally to mix. Turn off the heat just before the mixture completely melts, they will continue to melt together off the heat. Set aside so that it slightly cools
In one mixing bowl, sieve in the flour and cocoa powder then add in the sugar, vanilla and eggs - mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until the eggs are mixed through
Pour the melted but slightly cooled butter/chocolate from the saucepan into the mixing bowl and mix again until just combined
In a clean small saucepan, warm the caramel over a low heat for a minute or two until it just turns to liquid. Turn off the heat and if you're adding your own salt, start by stirring through 1tsp of flaked sea salt and adjust to taste (make sure the caramel is only warm not hot before you taste as it can burn!)
Pour half the brownie mix into the prepared baking tin and level with the back of a spoon or spatula. Pour the salted caramel over this layer and use a clean spoon or spatula to push the caramel to the edges - reserve some of the caramel for later if you want to drizzle it over the top too. Pour the second half of brownie mixture over the top and smooth out the top so that all the caramel is covered
Bake for 45 minutes, when it's ready the edges will be cooked but the middle will still be a bit wobbly and look under-baked (this is a good thing!)
Leave to cool completely - I refrigerate mine for at least 2 hours after it's cooled to room temperature to make slicing easier. Warm up any remaining caramel if using and drizzle over brownies with en extra pinch of flaked salt. Cuts into 24 x 2 inch squares
Nutritional Information
(per slice)
340 calories
4g protein, 35g carbs, 20g fat
Good to know:
Unlike regular cakes where a 'clean skewer' test is often done to test if they're baked through, brownies have quite a wet batter so even when they're ready to come out the oven, a skewer still won't come out clean!
The wet batter is also why it's best to wait until completely cooled before slicing, otherwise the centre of the brownies will spill out
If you're making the caramel sauce from scratch, it's best to make it ahead or give it plenty of time to cool down. It thickens as it cools, if you use it as soon as you've made it, the salted caramel will sink into the brownie batter so you won't get a defined caramel 'line' - they still taste amazing though!
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days
Vegetarian