Salted Caramel Brownies
Salted Caramel Brownies: An ooey-gooey treat that combines rich, fudgy chocolate brownies with the most incredible caramel. So indulgent!
Original publish date: January 23, 2019.
Boy, do I have a treat for you today!
This recipe takes 2 of my absolute favorite things: fudgy chocolate brownies and buttery salted caramel, and puts them together for a dessert that will totally blow your mind!
Salted caramel brownies, man. I’m not kidding! These are so incredibly decadent. They are a must-make. I insist!
Dessert bar recipes are great because they’re easy, transportable, and who doesn’t love finger food?
If this one appeals to you, I bet you’ll love my chocolate chip blondies, lemon bars, and gooey butter cake recipes too!
Table of Contents
- What are salted caramel brownies?
- Why this is the best salted caramel brownies recipe
- What do caramel brownies taste like?
- Ingredients
- Special equipment
- How to make salted caramel brownies
- How to serve salted caramel brownies
- Expert tips
- Frequently asked questions
- A few more of my best brownie recipes
What are salted caramel brownies?
This salted caramel brownie recipe features a layer of soft caramel on the bottom, with deep, dark, chocolate-y brownies on top!
Why this is the best salted caramel brownies recipe
- Tastes amazing: Chocolate and caramel go so well together!
- Few ingredients: Just a few pantry staples.
- Easy to make: These are made in a matter of minutes!
- Foolproof: If you’ve ever tried this before and had the caramel sink and disappear, then you’ll love this recipe! The caramel and brownie layers are distinct and hold up great through the baking and cooling process.
What do caramel brownies taste like?
If you’ve ever made my perfect brownies from scratch, then you already know that these brownies are seriously fudgy!
They’re made with cocoa powder, which is the purest essence of chocolate. Nothing gets in the way of the intensely dark chocolate flavor!
And the salted caramel is buttery and ooey-gooey, with a soft, chewy texture and a hint of salt to really balance all the flavors.
Ingredients
Cream: Heavy cream adds a richness to the caramel.
Butter: Butter does the same, but it also goes into the brownies as well. Unsalted butter allows you to control how salty your brownies come out, regardless of the brand you buy.
Salt: I prefer kosher salt because the flavor is clean without any bitter-tasting additives like iodine.
Sugar: Granulated white sugar is used to sweeten the brownies and keep them moist, as well as to make the homemade caramel.
Corn syrup: You can leave this ingredient out if you like, but know that it’s not the same thing as high-fructose corn syrup. I like to use it because it prevents the caramel from crystallizing as it cooks. Light corn syrup is best.
Water: The temperature really doesn’t matter.
Vanilla: Vanilla extract adds a sweet fragrance that compliments the chocolate in the brownies.
Cocoa: I like natural unsweetened cocoa powder for the chocolate-iest flavor! Dutch processed has more of an earthy taste that’s almost hazelnutty, like an Oreo.
Eggs: Large chicken eggs, or a plant-based product that subs 1:1.
Flour: All-purpose flour gives structure to the brownies. A cup for cup gluten-free flour blend would also work well.
Baking Powder: Double-acting baking powder helps the brownies to rise and have a lighter texture.
Special equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons: Follow my guide on how to measure ingredients.
- Pots: A small pot to heat the cream, butter, and salt, and a larger one for the sugar, corn syrup, and water.
- Whisk: For whisking the caramel as it cooks.
- Thermometer: We want to cook the caramel to a specific temperature, so it firms up to a soft yet solid consistency.
- Baking pan: I like a 9×9 square metal pan. You could use an 8×8 too, your caramel brownies will just bake up a little thicker. If you use glass or stoneware instead of metal, it could affect the bake time.
- Non-stick spray: So nothing sticks to the pan.
- Parchment: Allows you to easily lift the brownies out of the pan and onto the cutting board.
- Mixing bowl: A large, microwave-safe bowl is great for making the batter.
- Silicone spatula: For stirring up the brownie batter and getting every last bit out of the bowl!
- Cutting board: If you slice the brownies in the pan it could damage the coating.
- Knife: I love my bench scraper for cutting perfect brownies! If you don’t have one, a regular kitchen knife will work too.
How to make salted caramel brownies
It’s as simple as layering the best-ever salted caramel sauce under my favorite one-bowl brownies from scratch.
The brownie recipe is so dang simple, and the flavor is completely off the charts. So incredibly chocolate-y!
And the texture is on point: moist and deeply fudgy, with a little bit of delicate crunch on the top.
Once you try it you’ll never go back to the box mix!
But you should definitely start with the caramel.
Step 1: Make the caramel
Pop a little pot on the stove and add your cream, butter, and salt. Let it warm up until the butter is melted and the salt is dissolved.
In a bigger pot, melt the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Swirl the pot every now and then, to keep things heating evenly, but don’t stir! If you do, the sugar could crystallize. A gentle swirl is all that’s needed!
After a while, the sugar mixture will liquefy and start to bubble up.
Then the bubbles will get smaller and slower, and it will start to turn brown.
Once it reaches a golden brown color, pour in the warm cream mixture.
It will bubble up like crazy! Just whisk it vigorously, to avoid any lumps, pop the thermometer in, and keep boiling it until it hits the 245-degree F mark.
This is known as the “firm ball stage” and if your caramel cooks to this specific temperature, you’ll know that when it cools it will be soft and chewy.
If you don’t cook it enough, it will just be a sauce that runs all over the place.
If you cook it too much, it will turn to hard candy, like a Werther’s.
When you get to that perfect temperature, take the pot off the heat, stir in the vanilla, and pour it into your pan.
While the caramel cools down and solidifies, you can make the brownies.
Step 2: Make the brownie batter
Just add sugar, butter, and cocoa to a big bowl.
Microwave it until the butter is melted. (If you don’t have a microwave, you can heat everything over a double-boiler.)
Then, add the eggs, one at a time, stirring until completely incorporated. You’ll notice the batter starts to get really thick and glossy.
Stir in the vanilla, then the flour, baking powder, and salt. That’s all there is to it!
Layer the brownie batter over the cooled caramel.
Step 3: Bake
These will bake in the oven until the edges are set, but the middle will remain very soft.
How to serve salted caramel brownies
Once they’ve cooled completely, you can lift them out of the pan, transfer them to a board, and cut them into bars.
Enjoy them as a dessert or a snack, chilled or at room temperature.
Expert tips
Cook the sugar a little paler: I like to cook my caramel a little less brown here, just so you can see the contrast in the layers better. Normally I’d cook it deep amber, but for this recipe I add the cream when it’s just beginning to go golden.
Don’t stir until the caramel is golden brown: Stirring the sugar mixture as it caramelizes can cause crystallization. Just swirl the pot gently every so often, to keep things cooking evenly.
Allow the caramel to cool completely: If you allow the caramel to cool to a very firm consistency, the brownie batter will sit on top in a perfectly even thickness, rather than pushing the caramel up the sides of the pan.
Don’t overbake: These brownies bake up incredibly soft and moist, but only if you’re careful not to leave them in the oven for too long. They should be barely set around the edges and still quite gooey in the center. Remember carry-over cooking (the idea that foods will continue to rise in temperature and cook for several minutes after they’re removed from the oven) and pull them from the oven a little shy of being done. They’ll firm up a ton as they cool!
Chill: After you’ve cut your salted caramel brownies into squares, it’s not a bad idea to keep them in the fridge to keep the caramel nice and firm.
Frequently asked questions
These salted caramel brownies will keep at room temperature for several days. Just be sure to cover them tightly, so they don’t get dried out.
In the fridge, they’ll last for at least a week.
If you’d like to make these ahead, you totally can. Once they’ve completely cooled, they can go into the freezer. They will last for several months there, just be sure they are tightly wrapped.
Cut the batch into 16 equal squares. A serving is equal to 1 square.
A few more of my best brownie recipes
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Salted Caramel Brownies
Ingredients
For the Salted Caramel
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy cream
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons (12 g) kosher salt, or to taste
- 2 teaspoon (8 g) vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (85.25 g) light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup (59.15 g) water
For the Brownies
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter, (1 1/4 sticks)
- 2/3 cup (57.33 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 (88 g) eggs, large
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt
Instructions
Make the Salted Caramel
- Mist a 9 by 9-inch pan with non-stick spray and line it with parchment.
- In a small pot, gently heat the cream, butter, and salt until the butter has melted and the salt has completely dissolved.
- In a larger pot, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water.
- Cook over medium-high, swirling the pot occasionally to distribute the heat evenly.
- Continue to boil the sugar mixture until the bubbles begin to get smaller and it turns golden-brown.
- Pour in the warm cream mixture, whisking constantly to avoid lumps or crystals.
- Cook the caramel, whisking frequently, until it reaches a temperature of 245-degrees F.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Immediately transfer the hot mixture to the prepared pan and allow it to cool completely.
Make the Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Place the sugar, butter, and cocoa in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave* in one-minute increments, stirring, until the butter is completely melted and the mixture feels very warm to the touch.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Layer the brownie batter over the salted caramel.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until set around the edges but still quite soft towards the middle.
- Cool completely in the pan, then transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares.
Notes
For more info on the caramel, click here: Simply Perfect Salted Caramel Sauce.
I cant wait to try these. Ive been wanting to try brownies bc, tbh, I mess up the box ones all the time!! Ive done a few of ur recipes and they always work out perfectly. Cant wait to try these!!!
Can dutch-process cocoa powder be used in this recipe?
Yes, that should work!
This recipe is so indulgent I’m drooling! This looks SO good!! When I find recipes like this that I want to make, I make it only when I know that I’m going to friends, so I don’t keep them in the house and eat them all myself 🙂
Can anything taste better than chocolate and caramel?? I think not. These salted caramel brownies look crazy delicious!