DANIELLE AT HOME

Salted Caramel

Salted Caramel Brownies

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Super fudgy brownies with pockets of delicious salted caramel!

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Brownies are probably one of my favourite desserts, and you already know about my love of salted caramel (here, here and here!). I love brownies because I can whip them up in one bowl. Fast easy and impressive… totally my jam! Now of course salted caramel is a wee bit more involved than a one bowl brownie, but I promise it is worth it! For this recipe we will be using my favourite Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce! It’s straightforward, delicious and there might be leftovers for your ice cream.

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Before we get into this mouth watering recipe I have a few tips.

  1. Freeze your caramel, this helps prevent over spreading when the brownies bake
  2. Don’t over bake, I life a gooey brownie so stick to the cook time below
  3. If cutting them is a challenge pot them in the fridge
  4. Sprinkle with sea salt at the end

These are seriously delicious and I defiantly need to make another batch very soon!

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Salted Caramel Brownies

Yields: 9-12 brownies (I recommend cutting these small since they are super rich!)

Ingredients:

  • Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce (we will use 2/3 of the recipe in the brownies the rest can be saved for another use – ps. it freezes great!)
  • 4 oz Unsweetened Chocolate
  • 1/2 cup Butter, melted
  • 1 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla
  • 1 cup All Purpose Flour
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
  • Optional: Flaked Seas Salt for finishing

Directions:

Make my Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce recipe. Pour 2/3 of the recipe into a square baking dish lined with parchment paper. Place in your freezer. Store the rest in an air tight container in your fridge or freezer.

Preheat the over to 350°F. Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper, spray with baking spray. Set aside.

In a large microwave safe bowl place butter and chocolate. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stir in between until the chocolate and butter have just melted. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Stir well until smooth and combined. Add flour, fold into batter until combined. Once combined stir in chocolate chips.

Pour brownie batter into prepared baking sheet. Remove caramel from the freezer. Break or cut into small squares. Place the caramels on to the brownie batter. Space evenly and press slightly into batter.

Bake the brownies for 20-30 minutes until set. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt if desired. Cool before serving. Enjoy!

Adapted from Pinch of Yum.

Salted Caramel Brownies - Yum!

Dutch Apple Pie Bars with Salted Caramel

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We all know I love pie, and dutch apple pie is one of my favourites. What makes apple pie different from dutch apple pie it that instead of a top crust their is a crumble topping. It’s the best of both worlds. Now these bars a essentially a portable dutch apple pie. They are also drizzled with salted caramel, so you know they are good.

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These bars have four layers, shortbread crust, apple filling, crumble topping and caramel drizzle. I know that seems like a lot of work, but the ingredients and simple and so is the method. The tricky part is the caramel sauce. Now I like to make homemade salted caramel, it simple is the best. If you have the time please do yourself a favour and make the sauce from scratch. You wont be disappointed.

If you’re short on time, or just aren’t ready to try your hand at homemade caramel sauce you can use store bought. Buy the best quality caramel sauce you can find. Drizzle that on top of your bars and sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top. They will be almost as good.

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These are perfect to serve at an end of summer barbecue or on a fall dessert buffet. These bars with a cup of tea after your thanksgiving dinner… with a side of pumpkin pie of course.

Yields: 9-16 Bars

Ingredients:

Shortbread Crust:

  • 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
  • 1/4 Cup White Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Cup All Purpose Flour

Apple Filling:

  • 2 Apples, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
  • 2 Tablespoons White Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Streusel:

  • 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
  • 1/3 Cup packed Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, cold and cubed

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on all sides. Set aside.

Make the crust: In a small bowl stir together the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Make the apple filling:Combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.

Make the streusel: Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Remove the crust from the oven, and turn the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Layer the apples on top of the warm crust. Sprinkle the apple layer with streusel and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature. Lift the bars out of the pan using the tabs of the parchment. Cut the bars into your desired serving size. I normally cut them into 12 squares, but 9 or 16 will also work. Once cut, drizzle the bars with the salted caramel sauce. The bars can be served warm, room temperature or cold.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

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For caramel lovers this recipe is heaven on earth. This recipe has a deep caramel flavour, it’s sweet but balanced and has a finish of salt that rounds out the flavour.

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Now I know making caramel can be intimidating, but with a few tips you can conquer the caramel. Fist things first choose your pot. You want to use a medium or large-sized pot with high sides. This will ensure that your caramel wont boil over. Secondly choose your utensils. I like to use a silicone spatula for melting the sugar and a whisk for mixing in the butter and cream.

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Now the ingredients. Pre measure everything out before starting to cook. With caramel you have to work fast and you will burn your sugar if your other ingredients aren’t ready. I also like to leave my butter and heavy cream out on the counter for an hour or more before I start cooking. This helps bring the ingredients up to room temperature and will make mixing them into the caramel easier.

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This sauce is great on ice cream, brownies, pies, bars, a spoon… seriously addicting.

Have you ever made caramel before?

Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup White Sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons Salted Butter, room temperature cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream (30-40% milk fat, sometimes called whipping cream, double cream can also be substituted)
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:

In a medium or large sauce pan melt sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon.

The sugar will start to clump, but will eventually melt and thicken slightly. Once the sugar fully melts and becomes amber in colour you can add the other ingredients.

Add the butter to the pan, the caramel will bubble rapidly, so be very careful. Using a whisk mix the butter into the caramel completely, this can take 2-3 minutes.

Very slowly drizzly in the heavy cream while whisking. Again be extremely careful as the mixture will bubble up again.

Allow to boil for 1 minute, the mixture will bubble up the pan slightly.

Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the salt. Pour caramel into a storage container and allow to cool before using.

The salted caramel sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

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