Caramel Brownies — Photo:
Stacy Allen, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke, Food Stylist: Jen Riley

Active Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs 20 mins

Servings:

If classic brownies just aren't doing it for you anymore, it may be time to fine tune for a better brownie experience. That's exactly what these Caramel Brownies are—a serious upgrade from the ho-hum squares of basic, boring chocolate.

A chocolate lover’s dream, these brownies are ultra fudgy and come studded with surprise pockets of chewy caramel, along with the drizzle on top. The brownie batter has espresso powder mixed in, which simply deepens the chocolate flavor rather than offer any overt coffee flavor.

The caramel is a simple mix of store-bought chewy caramel candies and heavy whipping cream, salted to help balance out the sweetness. Each bite is velvety and almost melt-in your mouth. The topping drizzled when warm sets up into lovely chewy caramel stripes.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
4 oz. 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate (such as Ghirardelli), finely chopped (about 2/3 cup)
6 Tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, cubed
2 tsp. instant espresso powder (such as DeLallo)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
2/3 cup (about 2 7/8 oz.) all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 (10.8-oz.) pkg. chewy caramels (such as Werther’s Original), unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray; line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Coat parchment with cooking spray.
Place chocolate, butter, and espresso powder in a large microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH until melted, about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after every 30-second interval. Whisk in brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined, about 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in eggs and 2 teaspoons of the vanilla until well combined, about 30 seconds.
Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Gradually fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture just until combined.
Pour half of batter into prepared pan, smoothing into an even layer with a small offset spatula.
Heat caramels, cream, and remaining 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan over medium, stirring often, until caramels are melted and smooth, about 5 minutes.
Reserve 1/3 cup caramel mixture in a small, microwaveable bowl. Pour remaining caramel mixture evenly over batter in pan. Top evenly with small dollops of remaining batter, covering as much caramel mixture as possible. (Batter will not completely cover caramel mixture, but batter will spread in oven.)
Bake in preheated oven until edges are set and top is dry, puffed, and just slightly cracked, about 30 minutes. (Caramel mixture will bubble up through batter.) Let cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes. Using parchment overhang, remove brownies from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.
Cut into bars using a large, sharp knife. Microwave reserved caramel on HIGH in 10-second intervals until loosened; drizzle caramel over brownies. Store leftover brownies in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days.