Caramel Brownies

If classic fudgy, chocolaty brownies just aren’t enough indulgence for you, give these Caramel Brownies a shot. With a gooey layer of sweet and salty semi-homemade caramel sandwiched between two layers of decadent homemade brownies, this is a dessert you’ll need a plate and a fork to devour. Here’s everything you need to know about baking these mouthwatering treats. 

Caramel Brownie Ingredients

Scratch-made brownies are layered with a shortcut caramel sauce in this treat you’ll need to make again and again. You can use a boxed brownie mix if you’re short on time, but stick with our method for the caramel; store-bought caramel sauce, like the kind that’s shelved with the hot fudge, is too thin and drippy for this recipe. Here’s what you need to make it.

• Chocolate, unsalted butter, and espresso powder: We use 60% cacao chocolate and espresso powder to give the brownies a super rich chocolate flavor. Don’t use salted butter; you’ll add salt later.
• Brown sugar and granulated sugar: A combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar ensures these Caramel Brownies aren’t cloyingly sweet.
• Eggs and vanilla: You’ll need these kitchen staples to make the brownies gooey and luscious.
• Flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt: And these pantry staples to make them cakey and decadent.
• Chewy caramels and heavy cream: Store-bought chewy caramel candies, such as Werther’s Original or Kraft Caramels, are melted down with heavy whipping cream to make a perfectly thick and smooth caramel sauce.

Cooking Tips from the Test Kitchen

Repurposing caramel candies to make the caramel layer achieves the perfect texture without the tedious and difficult process of making caramel from scratch. Make sure you get the chewy caramels, not the hard ones.

If you have a food scale, we recommend using that to measure the flour. Too much flour will make these brownies too dense, so it’s important to measure it correctly. If you don’t have a scale, use the scoop and level method: Use a spoon to scoop the flour out of the bag and drop it into the measuring cup without pressing it down, then level it off with a butter knife.

How To Serve Caramel Brownies

As difficult as it will be to wait, it’s critical that you let these brownies cool completely before you devour them. If you try to cut into them while they are still hot, you’ll be left with a gooey mess. But give the caramel time to set and you’ll be rewarded with a brownie with a dry, puffed top, fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth body, and velvety caramel center. Our advice: It’s be best to keep your baking plans to yourself until these are ready to serve.

How To Store Caramel Brownies

While we doubt you’ll have many left over, these Caramel Brownies will keep covered at room temperature for a few days. Though if you make them in the summer and your kitchen is on the warm side, you may want to store them in the refrigerator to keep the caramel from melting too much.

Editorial contributions by Alyssa Sybertz.