Salted Caramel Brownies
on Aug 26, 2022, Updated Feb 14, 2024
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The delightful, sweet warmth of melty caramel mingles with the fudgy depth of a perfect chocolate brownie.
The perfect marriage of salty and sweet has been around forever (chocolate-covered pretzels, anyone?). But it may have found its perfect format in a salted caramel brownie. The delightful, sweet warmth of melty caramel mingles with the fudgy depth of a chocolate brownie, accentuated with the right amount of flaky salt. It’s an ideal union of flavors and texture, and it’s barely more work than making plain brownies.
In this salted caramel brownies recipe, some of the caramel is layered into the brownies. Even more is drizzled on top for the ultimate chocolate caramel experience in every sweet, delicious bite.
Adding salt to caramel creates a beautiful yin/yang of salty sweetness. The small amount of salt really elevates and emphasizes the sweetness. In these brownies, there is a bit of salt added to the brownie batter itself, and there is a bit of salt in the packaged caramels. Then, once the remaining caramel is drizzled over the top of the brownies, a final sprinkle of salt can be added.
I love serving them with a dollop of sweet whipped cream or no-churn vanilla ice cream.
Table of Contents
Salted Caramel Brownies: The delightful sweet warmth of melty caramel mingles with the fudgy depth of a perfect chocolate brownie.
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Salted Caramel Brownie Ingredients
For the Brownies:
- Unsalted butter – Use unsalted butter so that you can control the saltiness of the brownies.
- Unsweetened chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder – A combination of unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder gives the perfect chocolatey taste and chewy texture.
- Granulated sugar – Sugar balances out the bitter chocolates in this recipe.
- Kosher or flaky sea salt – Use kosher salt in the brownie batter and flaky salt for garnishing. Table salt is not good here — it will make the brownies too salty.
- Vanilla extract – These brownies are, of course, chocolate, but vanilla is still important to add for complexity of flavor.
- Eggs – The eggs get mixed in one at a time so that they don’t cook in the hot chocolate mixture.
- All-purpose flour – Gives the brownies their structure.
For the Salted Caramel Sauce:
- Caramels – Using store-bought caramels to jumpstart your caramel sauce will help get you a perfect caramel every time.
- Heavy cream – Adds richness to the caramel and helps it stay soft when cool.
- Kosher or flaky sea salt – Do not skip the salt in this caramel! You are looking for the perfect balance of sweet and salty.
Shortcut Caramel Recipe
This caramel recipe is a total shortcut, a cheat, if you will. You simply melt packaged caramels with a bit of heavy cream over medium-low heat. Using packaged caramels means that you don’t have to worry about caramelizing sugar, which can be a little tricky. With this method, you will get thick, smooth caramel that isn’t at all grainy and is very easy to work with.
What Kind of Salt to Use in Salted Caramel Brownies
In a perfect world, you would use flaky sea salt, like Maldon, in the brownie batter and for sprinkling at the end. If you only have kosher salt, you can use that instead. In the brownie batter, it doesn’t matter all that much, but when you are sprinkling it on top, the flaky sea salt really makes this dessert. Table salt is too fine and will make the brownies too salty.
But again, don’t NOT make these because you only have kosher salt. You’ll still be as pleased as punch with the results!
How to Make Salted Caramel Brownies
- Make the brownie batter: Melt together the butter and chocolate in a saucepan, then stir in the cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir in the eggs rapidly, one at a time, to prevent cooking. Once combined, add the flour and stir.
- Make the caramel sauce: Melt together the caramels and cream, stirring until melted and blended smoothly together.
- Assemble: Put together the brownies by adding half of the brownie batter at a time, with a generous drizzle of caramel sauce between the layers. Spread the top layer of brownie batter over to cover the caramel.
- Bake: Cook the brownies at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean, then let cool.
- Top with caramel: Once cooled, drizzle the remaining caramel over the brownies. Sprinkle with flaky salt to finish, cut, and serve.
FAQs
If you only have salted butter, just reduce the amount of salt in the batter to a small pinch. The reason to use unsalted butter in brownies is to control the final amount of salt, but you can adjust any added salt if you use salted butter. Don’t leave out the sprinkle of salt on top; it’s still needed for a good salty caramel!
Caramel sauces tend to get firmer as they cool down. Simply stick the caramel sauce back on the stove on low heat and wait for it to melt down again. If you add extra heavy cream when making the sauce, it will stay more fluid and pourable. For this recipe, you actually want the caramel to firm up as it cools on the brownies, so use the reheating trick to make it pourable for the final layer if it firms up too much.
Use a measuring cup with a spout to slowly drizzle the caramel sauce over the top of the brownies. Make sure the brownies have totally cooled before drizzling over the caramel sauce. Don’t cover the whole top of the brownies; let some of the chocolate peek through.
Salted Caramel Brownie Tips
- If your remaining caramel sauce firms up while the brownies are baking, just reheat it in the pot over low heat, stirring, until it is pourable for the final step. Then, allow it to firm up on the cooled brownies before serving.
- To spread the top layer of the brownies over the caramel filling, dollop the thick batter over the brownies once the caramel sauce has been drizzled over. Use the back of a spatula or a butter knife (or your fingers!) to smooth the top of the brownies. If you see some of the caramel peeking through the top layer of chocolate, that is just fine; it will blend together perfectly as it bakes.
Storage
These will last for 2 days at room temperature in a tightly covered tin. Or keep them in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving. These brownies can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
What to Serve With Salted Caramel Brownies
More Brownie Recipes
- Best One-Pot Fudgy Brownies
- Butterscotch Brownies
- One-Pot Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Brownies
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Salted Caramel Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownies:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher or flaky sea salt (plus more for sprinkling)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
For the Caramel Sauce:
- 1 (11-ounce bag) caramels
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon kosher or flaky sea salt (plus more for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously butter a 9–inch square baking pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the Brownie Batter:
- Place the butter and chocolate in a medium size saucepan over low heat and let melt together, stirring frequently. When the mixture is melted, stir in the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt, then blend in the vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stirring to mix quickly so they don’t have a chance to cook at all before they are blended in. Blend in the flour.
Make the Caramel Sauce:
- In a medium heavy saucepan, melt the caramels with the cream over medium lo-heat. Stir frequently until the caramels are melted.
- Scrape half of the thick batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Drizzle about 2/3 of the caramel mixture over the top of the first layer of brownie batter somewhat evenly – don’t worry if it doesn’t over the whole surface. Use a tablespoon to dollop the rest of the brownie batter – it is very thick, so you will have space between the spoonfuls. Use an offset spatula or a butter knife (or your fingers) to gently pat and spread the spoonfuls of brownie mixture over the layer of caramel below. Use the back of a spatula or a butter knife (or your fingers!) to smooth the top of the brownies; you will probably see some sort of caramel peeking through the top layer of chocolate, which is just fine.
- Bake until the edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let the brownies cool in the pan on a wire rack.
- When the brownies are completely cool, drizzle the rest of the caramel over the top. You may have to rewarm the caramel slightly to make it loose enough to drizzle. Let the caramel set for at least 15 minutes, then sprinkle with a last tiny bit of flaky salt. Cut the brownies into 16 squares.
Notes
- If your remaining caramel sauce firms up while the brownies are baking, just reheat it in the pot over low heat, stirring, until it is pourable for the final step. Then, allow it to firm up on the cooled brownies before serving.
- To spread the top layer of the brownies over the caramel filling, dollop the thick batter over the brownies once the caramel sauce has been drizzled over. Use the back of a spatula or a butter knife (or your fingers!) to smooth the top of the brownies. If you see some of the caramel peeking through the top layer of chocolate, that is just fine; it will blend together perfectly as it bakes.
- These will last for 2 days at room temperature in a tightly covered tin. Or keep them in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving. These brownies can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
