After an exhaustingly freezing day, trawling through the snow to and from work last Friday, I came home with a firm resolution to bake. I was encouraged by the thought of the oven heating up the currently boiler-less apartment, brrrr, and the later prospect of sinking my teeth into a deliciously gooey, devilishly salty-sweet salt caramel brownie.
Salted Caramel Brownies
You can make your own caramel but I couldn't be bothered on a work night. You could also apply the method to another brownie batter if you prefer the super-dense type of brownie (this one is slightly lighter in texture but still moist). You can keep them, covered in a tin, for four days or so. The recipe makes about 20 'bitesize' pieces (think M&S picnic flapjacks and brownie size).
200g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), broken up
250g unsalted butter
4 large eggs
160g caster sugar
160g light brown soft sugar
120g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
20g cocoa powder
200g caramel sauce / dulce de leche (I used Rowse Fudge Sauce which has pretty much the same ingredients as other caramel sauces but is cheaper)
Sea salt flakes
250g unsalted butter
4 large eggs
160g caster sugar
160g light brown soft sugar
120g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
20g cocoa powder
200g caramel sauce / dulce de leche (I used Rowse Fudge Sauce which has pretty much the same ingredients as other caramel sauces but is cheaper)
Sea salt flakes
Line a 20cm x 30cm brownie tin (around the size of an A4 piece of paper
in area) with nonstick baking parchment.
Heat the oven to 180C/375F/gas mark 5.
Melt the chocolate and butter over a pan of simmering water (or in
the microwave, carefully stirring between every 30 seconds or so), and set
aside to cool.
Beat the eggs, sugars and vanilla in a whizzer (or with an electric
whisk). Pour in the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa, and mix thoroughly
(sieve these if you don’t trust your whizzer to make it lump free). Pour in the melted chocolate and butter, and beat until all amalgamated.
Scrape half the mixture into the tin and make little indentations all over it. Fill these with teaspoons / half teaspoons of caramel sauce. Put half a teaspoon of salt in your hand and sprinkle it, pinch by pinch, directly onto the pools of caramel.
Spread out the second layer of the mix and repeat.
Slide into the oven and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until almost firm in
the middle. When done, take out and immediately pour 4 more teaspoons of
caramel sauce over the crevasses.
Leave to cool. Don’t taste for at least 2 hours after after taking out – brownies are cakey and dryer when they come out but improve in the cooling process. Don’t refrigerate either since it meddles with the texture.
Leave to cool. Don’t taste for at least 2 hours after after taking out – brownies are cakey and dryer when they come out but improve in the cooling process. Don’t refrigerate either since it meddles with the texture.
