Putting salted caramel in brownies is a very good idea. These brownies are a next-level indulgence. The sea salt flakes on top of the brownies almost disappear during baking but while you’re eating them, you will get pops of sea salt while enjoying every bite of the caramel and dark chocolate brownie.
I’ve been wanting to try baking homemade Salted Caramel Brownies for years but I didn’t because most recipes I found had caramel candies in them and we can’t get those here in Austria. In other recipes, caramel sauce was layered with the brownie batter in the pan and commenters reported that the caramel sauce was absorbed by the brownie as it baked so there was no caramelly effect afterwards.
So, I came up with a plan. I used my homemade Salted Caramel Sauce recipe but allowed the caramel to boil for a couple more minutes than usual so it would have a thicker consistency. I made the chocolate brownie using my go to One-Bowl Fudgy Brownie recipe. I only put the caramel sauce on top of the brownie batter and swirled it lightly and it was perfection! The best Salted Caramel Brownies ever.
Salted Caramel Brownies will be gooey if you eat them warm. Store them in the fridge and the caramel will be chewier. We preferred eating the brownies warm and topping them with additional warm caramel sauce. Add vanilla ice cream and you’ve got a simple and decadent dessert.
If you’ve never made caramel sauce before, here is a tutorial for Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce that will take you through the steps.
Enjoy!
Salted Caramel Brownies
Ingredients
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (80 g) butter
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy (whipping) cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Brownies
- 6 ounces (170 g) unsweetened or dark chocolate (70-90% cocoa) chopped
- 1 cup (225 g) butter
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling over top
Instructions
For the salted caramel sauce:
- Measure out all the ingredients and place them near the stove. Heat sugar over medium-high heat in a medium sized, heavy bottomed saucepan with high sides. Once sugar begins to melt, gently stir with a heatproof spatula or whisk to help it heat evenly.
- When (nearly) all of the sugar has melted and liquid is amber (caramel) colored, add the butter and stir until it has completely melted. CAUTION: hot mixture will bubble up when you add the butter.
- Stir in the cream. Again CAUTION, the mixture will foam up considerably and possibly splatter.
- Reduce the heat and keep stirring and boiling for 2-3 minutes. To remove any undissolved crystal lumps, pour sauce through a wire sieve into a heatproof bowl. Stir in salt. Caramel sauce will thicken as it cools.
For the brownies:
- Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water, stirring often. Alternatively, melt chocolate and butter in a large microwave safe bowl in the microwave at 600 watts for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate and butter are smooth. Cool until barely warm. While the chocolate mixture is cooling, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter a 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) baking pan.
- Stir sugar, eggs and vanilla into chocolate mixture. Beat lightly with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in flour.
- Spread brownie batter in prepared pan. Spoon about 10 tablespoons of caramel sauce on top of the brownie batter, and swirl the batters together with a butter knife, going back and forth across the pan. Don’t swirl too much or you’ll lose the marbled effect. Sprinkle flakes of sea salt over the top and then bake brownies for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack. Serve warm with additional warm caramel sauce and perhaps some vanilla ice cream.
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