Salted Caramel Brownies

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These decadent Salted Caramel Brownies are super fudgy and filled with the most delicious homemade salted caramel sauce!

OK listen up, these Salted Caramel Brownies may look like absolute showstoppers but they’re secretly really easy to make. They’re fudgy, rich and have the perfect balance of salty sweet! I know that the idea of making a homemade salted caramel sauce sounds scary but I promise it’s not. For this caramel sauce all you need to do is cook the sugar until it’s amber colored then take it off the heat and add the butter, heavy cream and salt. Easy peasy right?

What Makes A Brownie Fudgy?

• Use melted butter instead of softened butter – creaming softened butter incorporates too much air into the batter which makes brownies cakey.
• Brown sugar – brown sugar adds extra moisture.
• No leavening agents – the lack of baking powder/soda prevents them from rising and keeps them dense.
• Small amount of flour – using too much flour results in brownies with a cakey texture.
• Shorter baking time – brownies should still be a little gooey when you take them out of the oven.

Ingredient Breakdown

Butter – provides flavor and texture. I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Granulated sugar and brown sugar – both sugars are necessary for sweetness and texture.

Cocoa powder – gives the brownies their chocolate flavor! I always use natural unsweetened cocoa powder.

Eggs – binds the ingredients and provides structure.

Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.

All-purpose flour – just a bit of flour gives the brownies structure while still keeping them fudgy.

How To Make Salted Caramel Brownies

1. Make the Salted Caramel: add the sugar to a large light colored pot. Cook on medium until amber colored, picking up the pot and swishing the sugar around occasionally.

2. Remove from the heat then carefully add the cubed butter (it will bubble up like crazy). Whisk until the butter is melted then gradually mix in the heavy cream.

3. Add salt then transfer to a heat proof container and refrigerate until thickened.

4. Make the brownie batter: melt butter in a small pot over low heat. While still on heat, add both sugars. Once they’re dissolved, whisk in cocoa powder. Remove from heat and set aside.

5. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk the sugar mixture into the egg mixture until very smooth.

6. Fold in flour until just combined then pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.

7. Evenly spread 3/4 of the salted caramel on top of the brownie batter. Try not to spread the caramel all the way to the edges of the pan. Spread the remaining half of the brownie batter over the salted caramel then bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes. Cool to room temperature then drizzle with the remaining caramel sauce and chill before slicing for cleanest cuts. Store Salted Caramel Brownies in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge.

Pro Tips For Salted Caramel Brownies

• Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate; baking is a science after all!
• Don’t overmix the batter after adding the flour.
• Don’t be tempted to over bake these. They will still be a little gooey when you remove them from the oven but they’ll continue to bake as they cool.
• Use a metal pan! Glass pans retain heat for longer resulting in unevenly baked brownies.
• Make sure your parchment paper hangs over the sides of the pan for easy removal after baking!

If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂