Salted Caramel Chocolate Brownies

Big, rich and fudgy, these decadent Salted Caramel Brownies take classic chocolate brownies to a whole new level!  No mixer required!

Let me introduce you to the hottest bar in town...Salted Caramel Brownies.  These guys are where it's at and I'm sure you're going to want to hang out with them a lot!

I have to confess, I was a huge fan of the boxed brownie for years -it just seemed so easy!  But seriously guys, my chocolate brownies, drizzled with salted caramel could not be any easier.  You don't need a mixer -just a couple of bowls, a whisk and a spatula is all it takes to make these ahhhh-mazing Salted Caramel Brownies.  After you've experienced this chocolate brownie recipe, I'm pretty sure there's no going back!

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

When I make Salted Caramel Brownies, I use my homemade caramel sauce recipe, which you can find here but feel free to use a good quality, store-bought version if you like (I've done that too!).  Swirling that delicious salted caramel through these chocolate brownies elevates an already rich and decadent brownie to that "oh my" level.  So much heaven in each and every square!

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT CHOCOLATE BROWNIE

THE Key INGREDIENTS

First and foremost, you need great ingredients to make great chocolate brownies.  The most important ingredients in this brownie recipe are:

UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE:  use the good stuff!  Using a great quality dark chocolate produces the most amazingly delicious chocolate brownie.  No need for cocoa; you'll get the richest chocolate brownies with unsweetened chocolate.

BREAD FLOUR:  is higher in gluten than regular flour and will produce a fudgy, chewy brownie.

TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT BROWNIES

My Salted Caramel Brownies are super easy to make, but just to make sure you get it right, here's my top tips.   From how to mix chocolate brownies, to the best way to store them, I've got you covered!

• COOL THE MELTED CHOCOLATE AND BUTTER:  Ingredients need to be at room temperature, so make sure you give the melted chocolate and butter around 20 minutes to cool -you don't want warm chocolate cooking your eggs!
• DON'T OVERMIX:  This is a big one!
• USE GREAT QUALITY SALTED CARAMEL:  You can get the recipe for my Salted Caramel here

You don't want to incorporate too much air into the batter, as these brownies will become too cakey.  SO...for super-fudgy, chewy and delicious brownies with a shiny, crackly top, here's my top tips...

1. Gently whisk the eggs and vanilla before adding to the sugar and salt.
2. When adding the eggs and vanilla into the sugar and salt, just mix until the ingredients have incorporated.  It will be grainy!
3. Add the cooled chocolate and butter and mix only until just combined.
4. Sift the bread flour over the chocolate/sugar mixture and fold through, until the flour has just incorporated.  There will be some tiny lumps, but they'll work themselves out during baking.

• WEIGH YOUR INGREDIENTS:  I'll probably say this in every post, but if you want consistently great results, weigh, weigh, weigh!  Besides, who wants to be squishing butter into a cup?  Weighing ingredients is not only more accurate, it's faster and less messy!
• BAKE IN A CONVENTIONAL OVEN:  If you do use fan-forced, reduce the temperature to 150 celsius.
• PRE HEAT YOUR OVEN:  Ensure your oven is at the correct temperature before baking your brownies.  It's an obvious one, I know, but some people (I was so guilty of this!) don't wait for that light to go off.  It doesn't work!
• DRIZZLING THE SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE:  Avoid taking the sauce to the edges of the pan, as it will bubble and stick.  Keep it away from the edge, then swirl it through the brownie batter.

HOW TO CUT SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES

Allow the brownies to cool in the pan, before removing and cutting into 16 squares (of fudgy deliciousness!).  Use a large sharp knife to cut the brownies -they will be super-fudgy, so you will need to clean the knife after each cut.  I do this by running the knife under hot water, then wiping it dry with paper towel.

Alternatively, you can pop the pan of Salted Caramel Brownies into the freezer for 10 minutes.  This will make them much cleaner and easier to cut.

STORING YOUR BROWNIES

I keep my brownies either in a container at room temperature, or on a cake stand on my kitchen bench.  Salted Caramel Brownies don't seem to last that long in my house, so it really isn't an issue!  However, if you want to keep them for a few days, a sealed container is fine and the refrigerator is good for 3 or more days.  You can definitely freeze brownies, but I would freeze these salted caramel brownies without the extra drizzle (it'll get messy!).

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