These thick and fudgy caramel brownies are rich and decadent. A fudge-like brownie is filled with a gooey layer of caramel and topped with a caramel drizzle and flaky sea salt!
My family and I were at the grocery store a week ago to do our weekly shopping. Yes, we like to go together because we like to see all the new products and surround ourselves with food.
Every week, I like to browse the bakery section because I often get inspired with the baked goods. However, this particular week, I was astonished and slightly offended. I happened to see a container with TWO (2) brownies that were being sold for $9.09! Granted, these were caramel brownies, but 1) the brownies were not that big, and 2) they were selling for $9! That’s $4.50 per brownie!!!
I was outraged at this ripoff and vowed to make my own batch at home. As luck would have it, I already had all the ingredients on hand. I had a difficult time melting the caramels with the cream in the microwave, so I highly recommend melting them over a small saucepan on the stove (do this over medium low heat and don’t stop stirring!).
My husband wasn’t a fan of the instant espresso powder and claimed that he could taste it. So if you have people who aren’t coffee fans, you can leave that out. But, I do think that it helps bring out the intensity of the chocolate flavor in the brownies. My caramel topping also got a bit too firm so I wasn’t happy with that. The next time, I’d make a batch of caramel filling and save some of it aside for drizzling on top of the brownies. I think it will save a step in the instructions and make the caramel more uniform throughout.
Regardless, I am thrilled to have not paid $9 for two brownies. Instead, I got a batch of 16 for about $4 total!
Husband’s rating: 4 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4 out of 5
Caramel brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder optional but recommended
- ¾ cup chocolate chips
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Caramel filling
- 25 unwrapped caramel candies I used Brach's but prefer Kraft
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream can substitute with half and half
Caramel topping
- 6 unwrapped caramel candies
- 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
Make the brownies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously grease or line a standard 8"x8" baking pan and set aside (I used a silicone baking pan and did not line or grease it).
- In a large bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, sugar, salt, flour, espresso powder, and chocolate chips.
- Add in the eggs, oil, water and vanilla and mix well. The batter will be thick.
- Transfer half of the batter into your prepared baking pan.
Make the caramel filling
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the unwrapped caramel candies with the heavy cream in 25-30 second bursts. Mix well until the caramel is smooth and lump-free. I found that it was harder to melt the caramel properly in the microwave. I prefer leveraging a small saucepan and heating the caramel and the heavy cream over medium low heat (stir constantly so it doesn't stick to your pan).
- Pour the caramel filling on top of the brownie layer. Then transfer the remaining brownie batter on top of the caramel layer and smooth the top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center is no longer jiggly. Do not over bake the brownies.
Make the caramel topping
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the unwrapped caramel candies with the heavy cream in 25-30 second bursts. Mix well until the caramel is smooth and lump-free. I found that it was harder to melt the caramel properly in the microwave. I prefer leveraging a small saucepan and heating the caramel and the heavy cream over medium low heat (stir constantly so it doesn't stick to your pan).
- Drizzle the caramel topping over the cooled brownies. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Slice and serve.