Recipe for Brownies

Last weekend my Chief Culinary Consultant and I braved the crowds (and the heat) at the outlets and did some Memorial Day weekend shopping. It just so happened that the first store we stumbled upon was the Williams-Sonoma outlet. Swoon. They had some some things outside for a "sidewalk sale" and I noticed a stack of Baked Explorations cookbooks on one of the shelves – $9.99! Definite outlet no-brainer there. I've been dying to pick it up since positively loving every single recipe I tried from the first Baked cookbook (you know, the book that brought us the Baked Brownie and Root Beer Float Cake, mmm!). I snatched it up, among other things, and couldn't wait to get in the car to start browsing through it. These sweet and salty brownies jumped off the page at me, and I knew immediately they would be the first thing I'd bake up from the book. It turned out to be a very good decision!

These brownies are a take on the fabulous Baked brownie, which are dense, fudgy and the most delicious brownie I have ever had. This recipe takes that recipe and slaps a layer of salted caramel in the middle and then sprinkles a combination of fleur de sel and coarse salt on top. Unlike the salted caramel brownies that I made last summer where I swirled the caramel into the brownie batter, the salted caramel in these brownies are baked right into a middle layer, so it essentially becomes part of the brownie batter. You can definitely taste it in there and the saltiness it imparts, along with the salt sprinkled on top, is a wonderful balance to the sweet richness of the brownie batter. These are definitely killer brownies. Love them!

I think for dessert tomorrow I'm going to warm one up in the microwave, top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy it with a bottle of root beer. That sounds like bliss. Now, you must make these so you can join me!

One year ago: Pea in a Pod Baby Shower Cookies

Print print Save save Email email SWEET AND SALTY BROWNIES

yield: 24 brownies prep time: 45 minutes cook time: 30 minutes total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

For the Salted Caramel Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon fleur de sel

¼ cup sour cream

For the Brownie Batter:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder

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