salted caramel brownies

Remember when we spoke about my sweet & salty tooth? Well, it strikes again. I've been flirting with the idea of making these ever since I had salted caramel ice cream from The Red Trolley in Denver this summer. And, I'm not even going to try to tell you how much I love these, because (clearly) it's a brownie. And when have I ever met a brownie I didn't like? Never, my dear friends. Never. (However, I will say that these are maximally sweet, salty, chocolatey, and gooey all at once.)

I will confess that I didn't make my own caramel for these. I attempted homemade caramel once, several years ago, and it was a deeply traumatic experience. So this time, I left it up to the capable chefs at Central Market. But if you're feeling ambitious, by all means, DIY it.

The only problem I had with this recipe is that the caramel melted into the brownies and wasn't very detectable. So, I've adapted the recipe slightly to accommodate.

WHEAT-FREE SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES

1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine

1 1/8 cup sugar

3/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tbs vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 cup oat flour (or you can substitute regular flour)

1 cup caramel

1 tbs kosher salt plus some for garnish

Preheat oven to 340 and grease a 9x9 square baking pan.

In a saucepan or in the microwave, melt the butter. Remove from the heat, add in the sugar, and stir until combined. Briefly return to the heat, just until the mixture is hot. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool for a moment (ideally while you prepare everything else.)

Add the cocoa powder and baking powder into the butter mixture. When combined, add the vanilla and eggs. Last, stir in the flour until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the batter into the baking pan. In a small bowl, mix together the caramel and salt. Then, pour the caramel over the top of the brownie batter. Using a knife, slightly swirl the brownie batter with the caramel.

Baking for 22-25 minutes, or until the edges are set. The brownies may look too soupy in the middle at first, but they will set while they cool. Sprinkle some sea salt on the top of the brownies while they cool.