Ina Garten’s Salted Caramel Brownies

My daughter has loved a book series about a girl named “Kylie Jean” since she starting reading them in first grade. In one of the books, Kylie Jean Fashion Queen, Kylie’s mom bakes caramel brownies. My daughter has been asking for them ever since. I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to comply! (She’s in 5th grade this year. )

The recipe for these super rich, moist and delicious brownies was adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Foolproof via Food Network.com. I used large eggs, espresso powder, salted caramel sauce, and omitted the sprinkling of sea salt. We ate them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Decadent. Thanks, Kylie Jean! 🙂

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 14 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I used 72% cacao dark chocolate)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 T instant espresso or 1½ T instant coffee granules, such as Nescafé
• 1 T pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 T sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 T all-purpose flour, divided
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 to 6 ounces good caramel sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Salted Caramel Sauce)
• 2 to 3 teaspoons flaked sea salt, such as Maldon (I omitted this because I used salted caramel sauce)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 x 1½-inch baking pan.
2. Melt the butter, 8 ounces of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate together in a medium bowl set over simmering water. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar.
4. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. In a medium bowl, sift together ½ cup of the flour, the baking powder, and salt and add to the chocolate mixture.
6. Toss the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture.
7. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t overbake!
9. As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, place the jar of caramel sauce without the lid in a microwave and heat just until it’s pourable. Stir until smooth. Drizzle the caramel evenly over the hot brownies and sprinkle with the sea salt.
10. Cool completely and cut into bars.

One Year Ago:

• Single-Crust Damson Plum & Apple Pie

Two Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat-Bartlett Pear Crumb Cake

Three Years Ago:

• Biscoff Blondies
• Salted Dulce de Leche Shortbread (Alfajores) Bars

Four Years Ago:

• Fancy S’more Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting
• Tutu’s Super-Crispy Sugar Cookies

Five Years Ago:

• Banana-Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins
• Back to School Blondies

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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