Thursday, October 16, 2014

Caramel Chocolate Brownies

It`s almost Halloween!! Eeek, I`m super excited, even though I don`t have any plans yet. It`s all the candy and the cute little baby costumes. I have a baby cousin who`s a little over 1 year old and I seriously cannot wait to see him in a costume! Ahh, babies in costumes are just about as cute as baby socks and shoes. Haha!

My aunt`s birthday was this month and she requested some brownies. I`ve baked many brownies throughout the past 4 years of my baking addiction, but it`s still very hard for me to decide which recipe to make when I want brownies. I wanted a really good recipe and something more special than just regular ol` brownies since it was her birthday,

So, I added caramel chocolates in the center.

Okay, it`s not some fancy dancy brownies with cheesecake swirls or whatever...but it was crazy good. I opted out of adding frosting on top because it would be too sweet for her. She loves eating candy and is always buying me bags of chocolate candy since she knows how much I love eating them so I thought it`ll be a cute idea to add candy into her birthday brownies.

Also, Halloween is two weeks away. There`s going to be leftover candies and people are going to bake them in things. Like, cookies, muffins, cakes, and brownies. ;)

In conclusion, this brownie is a must make this month, as you can stuff chocolates in the middle. Then, let the chocolate blend into the brownie batter to make for a beautiful and wonderful chocolate creation.

I used Ghirardelli caramel chocolate squares, so that there`ll be a thin strip of caramel in the middle. (I totally just Googled Ghirardelli...) It`s not a lot of caramel, so the brownies won`t ooze caramel, but thin caramel strips scattered throughout. You actually see more of the chocolate, which is why I named this recipe caramel chocolate brownies, instead of just caramel brownies. But oh my, it was awesome, people. You can make these brownies without any additions as well. The recipe is a really great brownie recipe! It`s definitely a brownie recipe contender to keep for the future. It`s not a fudgy or cakey brownie, but something you can definitely eat more than 1 piece since it`s not so decadent. ♥

P.S. - Add some sprinkles to make it festive!

Caramel Chocolate Brownies
Adapted: Pamela Anderson via My Baking Addiction| Yields: 8x8 inch pan| Level: Easy | Total Time: 75 minutes | Print 

-          2/3 cup all purpose flour
-          ½ teaspoon salt
-          ½ teaspoon baking powder
-          4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
-          1 oz of unsweetened chocolate
-          10 tablespoons unsalted butter
-          2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
-          1 cup granulated sugar
-          2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-          3 large eggs
-          9 Caramel Ghirardelli Squares, unwrapped

1.       Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper (leave an overhang to make it easier to pull brownies out).
3.       Using a double broiler method (with a heat safe bowl sitting over a pot of simmering water), melt the chocolate and butter together.
4.       Once melted, add in the brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla until combined.
5.       Add the eggs in one by one, mixing in between each addition.
6.       Fold in dry ingredients (flour, etc) until just combined.
7.       Transfer half of batter into pan.
8.       Line with caramel chocolate squares.
9.       Top with the rest of the batter.
10.   Bake for 33-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out with wet crumbs, but it's not gooey batter.
11.   Allow brownies to cool on wire rack. Cut when serving.

-          I used nonstick (so, dark coated pan). I like two sides with long parchment sheets, so there is an overhand on all sides, so I can lift brownies out of pan easily. 

-          9-16 servings, depending on cut size