Caramel & Chocolate Chip Brownies

Caramel & Chocolate Chip Brownies - made April 13, 2013, recipe adapted from The Whimsical Cupcake

I've hit 200 followers - woo hoo!  I know that's probably a modest number compared to other bloggers but considering how busy I am and how I have to squeeze in time to work on my blog (mostly on weekends), I'm pretty happy with it.  Now I have almost as many followers as baking books, lol. 

This is the third and last dessert I made for our family get together last weekend.  The original recipe from The Whimsical Cupcake (click on the recipe title to take you to her blog post) used Oreos in the brownies.  I opted to use caramel and chocolate chips.  I used her brownie recipe though as it looked so thick and scrumptious on her blog.  Hers came out thicker than mine.  I think I need to use a slightly smaller pan next time if I want that thickness.  This is essentially a cocoa brownie and the chocolate flavor you get is entirely dependent on the type of cocoa you use.  For deep, dark chocolate flavor - and there's almost no point in eating a brownie that doesn't have it - use high quality cocoa like Scharffenberger or Pernigotti.  You want a dark cocoa for that chocolate flavor.  If you're ever in any doubt about the quality of the cocoa and the richness of its taste, compare the colors of a Hersheys or other "grocery store" cocoa against Pernigotti or Scharffenberger.  The difference in color is remarkable.

This is a good brownie to pair with caramel because the dark chocolate of the brownie is complemented nicely by the sweetness of the caramel.  Although the directions say to mix until just combined, do mix it enough to make a glossy thick batter.  As long as you're mixing it by hand, there's little risk of overmixing and making a cakey texture but you do want to mix it enough to emulsify the melted butter into the batter.  Otherwise your brownies will be greasy as the butter will run out if it's not mixed enough.

1 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
⅔ cup cocoa powder (measure then sift to get rid of lumps)
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup salted caramel sauce (homemade or store bought - I used the one from Williams Sonoma)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9×13 baking pan with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Leave an inch hang-over on each side for easy removal once the brownies are done.
2. Melt butter in a medium bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Measure flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a small bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Stir the sugar into the melted butter. Beat in the eggs one at a time until each is combined. Stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Remove from oven, drop dollops of caramel over the hot brownie and smooth thinly over top layer (it doesn't have to be even). The caramel should melt over the hot brownie. Scatter chocolate chips on top of the caramel. Let cool to room temperature, then cut into squares.