The Ultimate Fudgy Caramel Brownies – Possibly the best brownies I’ve ever had or made, and definitely my husband’s new favorite. It’s a one-bowl recipe that’s whisked together in 5 minutes and produces ridiculously rich and fudgy brownies with zero cakiness.
I cheated.
And I don’t feel one bit bad about doing it.
I’m talking about cheating on my old faithful brownie recipe. It’s a fabulous recipe for fudgy brownies and has served me well since 2009, and I’ve had it on my blog since 2011. Every brownie recipe in my cookbook uses it as the base. The batter comes together in minutes by melting chocolate and butter together in the microwave, whisking in sugars, eggs, and flour. No mixer required, nothing complicated, and the results are fantastically fudgy, dense, rich, and perfect.
So why would I cheat on it? Good question. The simple answer is curiosity got the better of me.
The longer answer is that with cooking, if we only ever stuck to something we liked and never branched out, we’ll miss some gems along the way.
I cheated on these Chocolate Chip Cookies and was rewarding with finding my favorite new recipe for Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookies. The old recipe was and still is fine, better than fine; I just prefer the new one. But plenty of people still write saying they made the older recipe and are thrilled.
The same with these Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies. A few simple tweaks to an already solid recipe and I now have Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies (gluten-free), my new favorite peanut butter cookie recipe.
Sometimes my favorite recipe for an item is on such a pedestal and almost nothing could trump it, and to try is just an exercise in dishes-doing and ingredients-wasting. Oh, I’ve been there. If it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it.
But I have seen so many adaptations to the Alice Medrich brownie recipe from her 2003 cookbook, Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate.
So many good cooks, websites and newspapers just can’t be wrong. Deb’s version has 763 comments, most of them glowing, so it seemed like a good gamble. The worst thing is that I’d be out of is some cocoa powder.
Yes, this recipe uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. Up until these brownies, I was of the mindset that cocoa powder is totally inferior to melted chocolate and that nothing made with it could ever compare. Well, I was wrong, big time. These brownies are every bit as fudgy, moist, rich, and not at all dry, cakey, or inferior in any way to melted chocolate brownies.
I’m a stickler for fudgy-only brownies with zero traces of cakiness. If they fell short in any way, I’d be the first to say it. Actually, I was almost looking for a reason to shun this recipe and was going out of my way looking for faults, but can’t offer a single flaw.
These brownies, like my old recipe, are so fast and simple to make. They’re as easy as using a boxed mix. In fact, if you like the taste of boxed mix brownies, you’ll especially love these. There’s some old-school nostalgia that comes from using cocoa powder.
They’re made in one bowl and the batter comes together with a whisk in minutes. Melt butter, cocoa powder and sugar together in the microwave. Stir in vanilla, two eggs, flour, and you’re done. If you’re looking for a short ingredients list brownie recipe that’s foolproof, look no further.
After pouring the batter into a foil-lined 8-by-8-inch pan, press 20 caramels in, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Alice suggests baking for 20 minutes but based on reading literally hundreds of comments on various sites from people who’ve made a version of this recipe, 20 minutes seems awfully short, even for me. And I love brownies so fudgy they’re nearly raw.
I recommend baking for 20 to 25 minutes, checking with a toothpick, and if it’s still soupy, bake for 5 minutes. Do not bake over 30 minutes. The toothpick test won’t necessarily come out clean, but when I inserted a toothpick into the center at 25 minutes, it was still watery-fudgy. At 28 minutes, they were done. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
Don’t be tempted to bake longer than 30 minutes, even if you think they’re raw; they’re not. The longer they bake, the greater chance the cocoa powder will either scorch, burn, or dry out, and you won’t have the wonderfully moist, uber-fudgy experience you deserve.
I let the pan cool on the counter for one hour, covered with a piece of foil, and placed it in the refrigerator overnight before slicing. I don’t think it’s possible to make really clean cuts unless these brownies are well-chilled because they’re so very fudgy. You could try cutting them with a pizza wheel if they’re sticking to your knife. Plus, in giving them time to really set up, the edges will firm up and turn chewier and the interior remains gooey, soft, and tender.
I prefer rich, fudgy brownies, French Silk Pie, chocolate mousse, and a piece of rich fudge to be served chilled. Or, you could skip all that, disregard any ideas of clean-cuts, and just scoop them out of the pan with a spoon. You may want to grab a huge ladle so you can shovel them in more efficiently.
My husband said these brownies are not only the best brownies he’s ever had or that I’ve ever made, he said they’re the best dessert I’ve ever made, period.
With over 500 recipes on my blog, 100 in my cookbook, and oodles more that I try and don’t make either cut, for him to say that these are the best dessert I’ve ever made is ridiculously high praise. He does say this every 6 months or so, and he forgets what he likes, but still they trump hundreds of other things.
The Bruce Springsteen song, Tunnel Of Love
, comes to mind with the photo below.
I have been trying to decide which recipe I like better, the old or the new. The old recipe produces brownies that are slightly chewier, and the surface and base have a crisper “skin” because there’s more butter by two tablespoons, and there’s cocoa butter solids from the melted chocolate. They also have a slightly more buttery flavor.
The new recipe is also chewy on the edges but is softer in general. Not cakey soft, just soft and tender and lighter-weight. They’re the brownie equivalent of a Softbatch-style cookie. Both versions are ridiculously fudgy, dense, rich with zero cakiness.
The old is made in a slightly larger pan (9×9 versus 8×8) and based on how much I cook, we don’t need big batches of anything, and the smaller size is preferred, yielding just 9 generous squares.
Both recipes are equally fast and easy to make; made in 1 bowl in the microwave, wish a whisk, no mixer.
There’s less ingredients in the new recipe – 2 eggs versus 3, and just granulated sugar rather than a mix of granulated and brown sugars. Neither recipe produces “sweet” brownies; both are deep, dark, and rich, but the new recipe is even less sweet. They’re a dark chocolate and fudge lover’s dream.
And not to be cheap but cocoa powder is less expensive than dark chocolate. As Alice said, “The best version happens to be the one you can make when you’ve eaten all the 70% bars you bought for baking, and only a forgotten tin of cocoa powder remains on the shelf.” Ironically I used cocoa powder that I’d had for ages that was just sitting on my shelf. I used natural, unsweetened cocoa powder (non-Dutched). However Dutch-process or Hershey’s Special Dark may be used.
Look how dark these are, without even using Hershey’s Special Dark. Unfortunately, I can’t find it in metro San Diego. I have a circuit of about 6 major grocery stores and Target that I utilize, and no one carries it.
I think, overall, I like the new recipe better by a tiny margin; almost too close to call but I couldn’t very well say it was a tie. There’s a nostalgic quality that reminds me of the boxed brownies I’d made as a kid when I came home from school by stirring in water, oil and an egg and grossly underbaked them so they’d stay fudgy. Except with these, the flavor is infinitely darker, deeper, richer, and better.
And biting into huge caramel chunks doesn’t hurt either.
Pin This Recipe
The Ultimate Fudgy Caramel Brownies
Possibly the best brownies I've ever had or made, and definitely my husband's new favorite. It's a one-bowl recipe that's whisked together in 5 minutes and produces ridiculously rich and fudgy brownies with zero cakiness. They're made with cocoa powder rather than melted chocolate, and ff you think cocoa powder brownies are inferior to melted chocolate brownies, these will change your mind. Not too sweet; very deep, dark, and rich. They’re a dark chocolate and fudge lover’s dream, with big chunks of caramel baked in. Ready from start to finish in 30 minutes - as easy as using a boxed mix with results that taste a zillion times better.
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process, I used natural)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste (I did not use salt, personal preference)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (original recipe is 1/2 teaspoon)
- 2 large eggs, cold
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (weighing nearly 2.5 ounces or 65 grams)
- 20 caramels, unwrapped (about 1/3 cup very thick, good-quality caramel sauce may be substitued and swirled or marbled over the surface)
Instructions
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 325F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang on the sides, spray with cooking spray; set pan aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, sugar, cocoa, optional salt, and heat on high power to melt, about 45 seconds. Stop to stir, and heat in 10-second bursts until mixture has melted and can be stirred smooth (mine took 45 seconds + 15 seconds). Batter will be very granular.
- Add the vanilla, eggs, and stir vigorously until batter is thick, shiny, and well blended. Add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with a wooden spoon (I used metal) or a rubber spatula. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Add caramels in four rows of 5 across, pressing each caramel down into the batter so that the top surface of the caramel is nearly flush with the batter surface. They should be wedged in quite deep but not bottoming-out and not touching the bottom of the pan or they'll be prone to sticking to it.
- Bake until a toothpick in the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes, is Alice's suggestion, but I think this is too short. I baked for 25 minutes, checked with a toothpick and it emerged soupy/watery at 25 minutes. I baked for 28 minutes total.
- I recommend baking 25 minutes, checking with a toothpick, and baking for up to 5 more minutes, as necessary. Do not bake over 30 minutes or brownies will be prone to scorching, burning, turning dry, or setting up too hard. Brownies will firm up as they cool. I recommend cooling brownies on counter in the pan for 1 hour, covering pan with a piece of foil (to prevent fridge smells) and placing pan in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight, to cool completely before slicing if you want clean-cuts because they're so fudgy; using a pizza wheel may help if brownies are sticking to your knife.
- Brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I prefer them chilled and keep them in the fridge. The caramel gets a touch hard, but softens in a few minutes at room temp.
- Adapted from Alice Medrich's Best Cocoa Brownies, also appearing in her cookbook, Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 353Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 231mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 0gSugar: 43gProtein: 4g
Related Recipes:
Fudgy Nutella Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting – My old go-to brownie recipe, that many others are derived from and it works like a charm every time to produce flawless, fudgy, rich brownies in just minutes with one bowl and whisk
Browned Butter Caramel and Butterscotch Bars – The blondie equivalent of dark fudgy brownies and are as dark as blondies can get. They’re made with dark brown sugar, butterscotch, and caramel for rich depth of flavor. Ready from start to finish in under 30 minutes with 1 bowl and whisk
Oreo Cookie-Stuffed Brownies with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting – Stuffing candy and cookies into brownies is an easy way to get oooh’s and ahhh’s from anyone and is a fun way to use up odds and ends
Banana Bread Brownies with Vanilla Caramel Glaze – A happy accident when I was trying to make chocolate banana bread but instead created bread so fudgy, dense, and moist that it could hardly be called bread. Rich, dense brownies is a much more fitting name
Caramel and Chocolate Gooey Bars (GF with Vegan adaptation) – The hardest part of this recipe is unwrapping the caramels but the results are so worth it. Oozing with texture from oats and dripping with buttery caramel and chocolate
Quintuple Chocolate Fudgy Brownie Cookies – For the ultimate chocolate lover. Chocolate is used five times: Cocoa powder, melted bittersweet baking chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips, diced chocolate and caramel-filled truffles (or use your fave diced candy bar) and chocolate-filled Oreos
Mounds Bar Chocolate Coconut Cake Mix Cookies – Brownie-like in their fudginess and extremely easy and fast to make. The coconut candy bars are a great pairing with the chocolate
Thick and Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (gluten-free) – If your idea of dark chocolate must involve peanut butter, these are the cookies for you. NO Butter, NO Flour, and NO White Sugar used
Tell me about your perfect brownie. Fudgy or cakey? Frosted – and if so what kid of frosting? Stuffed with candy or cookies? Or are you a brownie purist?
Have you ever cheated on a favorite recipe? Did it pay off?
Thanks for the Breakfast For Dinner Cookbook Giveaway and Unreal Candy Giveaway entries!
Does this recipe double well?
I haven’t tried to but you’d probably be fine, but again, haven’t personally tried.
Sorry for all the comments but just had to tell you they turned out great!! *phew* so pleased!
No apologies necessary and glad they turned out great!
Thanks for your super quick reply, Yes I know, I don’t tend to eyeball but sometimes I get lazy lol . I baked them for about 24 minutes while they were still quite moist, they’re looking okay I’m letting them cool hopefully they won’t be dry. And thanks for the tip!!
You’re welcome and moist is good coming out of the oven so they don’t cool and set up too dry!
Just whipped some up now, they just went in the oven. But my batter did not look glossy at all like yours in the pic…I’m thinking since I sort of eye balled the butter measurement that may have been the issue? My mixture is quite thick, not very spreadable…I know you can’t trouble shoot my problem over the internet, but would you recommend adding a touch of milk if you have a thick batter? Thanks!
Eyeballing with baking is never a great idea unless you’ve made the recipe a zillion times and even then, you can get into trouble. So…that could have been it.
With brownies, if the batter seems dry, an extra egg is probably better than a splash of milk. Or a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Just don’t overbake or they will be dry since the batter was already thick.
I made these tonight with almond flour and they worked perfectly. Â I’ve made many, many times with flour but I am going gluten free. Thank you Averie for all your wonderful recipes.
Hi I like my brownies to be a little more sweeter. So what can I do to make it less dark chocolate.Â
You could add more sugar or use a less intense/less dark cocoa. These brownies are still sweet enough; they’re definitely not those ‘fancy’ brownies that are so dark they taste bitter. Try the recipe once as-is, and then start playing around with if you feel it needs changing.
Hello! My class and I have to bake for our subject and I was wondering if you could give me some tips for this recipe? I don’t know the size of the pan and I need your guidance! Here are some questions.
1.Can you just put the brownies straight into the refrigerator and wait for a few hours?
2.What is the ratio to each sizes of pans?
3.If I can’t find caramel squares, can I just use chocolate chips?
4.Will this make an enormous mess?
These are some sample questions. Plese leave some baking tips as well. :D
Hello Averie, I was wondering if its possible to use honey instead of sugar in brownies without compromising the texture and look. I’ve tried substituting sugar with honey in pumpkin blondies and they turned out amazingly good but do you think it would work in real brownies?
I fear that honey will make these way too runny, gooey and gloppy. They’re already really supremely fudgy and moist so I personally wouldn’t.
I was in the mood for brownies, and since I don’t have a standby recipe, I knew I should check here first! I’ve made a few of your recipes and always think they are fantastic. I didn’t feel like going through the hassle of melting the chocolate so this was a perfect recipe. I followed your directions to a T (except for the fridge- those puppies went right onto a spoon). Now that they’ve cooled down, I find the caramels to be too chewy, and I think they will only get hard and brittle after chilling them. Do they soften a bit or are they just super chewy? Either way they are delicious- I’ll just need to be careful biting into them! Thanks again!
I think the caramels and how chewy they do or don’t become may depend on the type used. I’ve noticed different brands lend different results. Maybe yours were just more prone to the super chewy side of things. You can always just pick them out if they’re too chewy. Glad you enjoyed the brownies though!
Hi there
If I’m using a convection oven with fan, do I bake at 160 degree Celsius for 28mins or 145 degree Celsius for 28mins?
Do u use a convection or convention oven?
I have a conventional oven, not convection. If using convection, I’d err on the side of less baking time than more.
Hey Averie! I am planning to make a pan of brownies and then do heart shaped cut-outs for V-day :) Serving for dessert that night, either alone or as a base wtih vanilla bean ice cream and hot fudge & caramel sauces (everyone can make their own sundaes :)) I am curious as to which recipe you think would best serve the purpose. There are both kids and adults involved in this dinner party. Thank you so much!
For cutting out, I would do this base. It’s slightly firmer and less fudgy and I think would work well, plus makes a 9×13 pan & with cutouts there’s always waste so this is better anyway than an 8×8 pan
https://www.averiecooks.com/2011/05/fudgy-nutella-brownies-with-cream-cheese-frosting.html
also same base is here https://www.averiecooks.com/2012/03/oreo-cookie-stuffed-brownies-with-vanilla-buttercream-frosting.html
LMK how it goes!
hello there, I wanted to tell you that I love your blog and your photos are fabulous! I read a lot of food blogs regularly, but I must say I love your pictures more than most.
Thanks for this delicious recipe. My old standby is Alice’s recipe and everyone loves them.. I did try this one because I was interested in trying a brownie one similar to Alice’s that used cocoa. I thought they were very good but a tiny bit dry, I followed the recipe and made sure to not overcook. However, I didn’t use as many caramels as your recipe calls for. Do you think that would have made a difference? I used a little more than half what your recipe states, as I had run out. I may just try it again with more caramels. I love the mix of brownies and caramels, simply delish. Thanks again!
This recipe is really just the Alice M recipe with some caramels added. As far as I can tell, it’s the same base dough, and there are so many blogs that have used the recipe and I linked to many of them in the post.
Since writing this post, I’ve made it numerous times. Most recently here https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/11/salted-caramel-pretzel-topped-fudgy-brownies.html with backlinks to yet other times I made them.
I have found with cocoa powder, that you have to be REALLY careful or they will get dry. I swear sometimes 1-2 minutes can make or break it. I would take them out 5 mins before you think they’re done and evaluate. I would rather err on fudgy and a little raw than a little dry. But that’s me. Most of the time these brownies are foolers and I end up inadvertently overbaking, which is something I almost never due. So just be super careful and I think you’ll be set! Maybe by using less caramels, your brownies cooked a little faster, and again small tiny variances can effect results.
I just discovered your blog a few weeks ago. So glad I did! I’ve made several of your recipes, and they are delicious. Most recently, the chocolate cake one that is so easy to throw together. I LOVE your recipes!!! I might not be too happy when I jump on that scale though :)
Thanks for saying hi, finding me, and trying the choc cake. I love that little one pan easy cake, too! Keep me posted if you try other recipes!
I absolutely LOVE your recipes, except…I will add pecans. And you don’t like nuts in your brownies??? What’s up with that? I don’t like brownies without nuts. I am a GRITS girl (girl raised in the South), so I learned that all desserts are better with Pecans, since we grew pecan trees! Nothing better than toasted pecans on the tops of brownies!
OK, you are my brownie girl…the enthusiast, the gourmet. I will follow you…and bring my pecans with me. YAY!
Trish
Thanks for the fun comment & LMK how the brownies (with or without the nuts..haha!) go for you!
Hey Averie! I want to make these tonight… is it okay to make these in a 9×13 pan? Can’t wait to try!
You would likely need to double the ingredients otherwise they will be PAPER thin! But as long as you double, I’m sure they’ll be fine. I haven’t tried them in a 9×13 but they are amazing brownies and I know you’re going to love them. Please LMK how it goes!
Used the smaller pan and they worked out great! I was surprised how the batter kept its shape while baking and didn’t spread and flatten out… it must be because of its intense thickness! These pack a lot of chocolate flavor, which is rare. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
So glad they worked out so wonderfully for you and correct, this dough/batter really doesn’t flatter (or rise) all that much. What you see is what you get — super fudginess :)
Uh-oh…now I can make brownies without going out to get unsweetened chocolate. This could be dangerous! I try new brownie recipes all the time, but I’ve never been happy with an all-cocoa brownie recipe until now. I confess I did not add the caramels; I rarely add anything to brownies because I don’t want anything getting in the way of all that fudgy chocolate. Maybe next time. But these definitely don’t need anything in or on them. They are rich and delicious all on their own!
P.S. I’m so glad you included weight measurements for the flour. I think overdoing the flour is the worst mistake that can be made in brownie-baking, and I would have added WAY too much if I’d gone by my half cup measure instead of weighing out the 65 grams.
These look fantastic Averie, I’ve never used cocoa in brownies either, but will definitely try it!
This is exceptional! I’m going to make this next weekend. Just a question, do you sift your dry ingredients? Plus, I can use the 7-minute microwaved caramels instead of the storebought ones, right?
No I don’t sift. My cocoa powder isn’t that lumpy and I just combine everything together with a spoon. You can sift, but I don’t bother. I haven’t tried them with 7-min caramels but I see no reason not to. Enjoy! LMK how it goes!
I have always been in the same mindset about cocoa powder brownies, but these look so ridiculously gooey, and just INCREDIBLE!! And don’t even get me started on those gooey caramels inside!
Just made this! I loved the nutella brownie recipe, I can’t wait to take a bite of one of these!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad you’re enjoying the brownie recipes!
The first time I saw Alice Medrich’s recipe, I was hesitant too – now it’s one of my favourite brownie recipes. Cheating can be beautiful! :D
I didn’t know you made it, too! Okay, well that confirms that this was a good call! Thanks for the pin, too!
I have made Alice’s brownies before! They are great, such a quick and easy go-to recipe.
And although I prefer this recipe (http://www.butterbaking.com/2013/02/17/kit-kat-chunk-brownies/) when wanting to use actual chocolate in my brownies, these are my all time favourite cocoa-only recipe!
I’ve used them as the base for loads of things, and adding in caramels is such a great idea Averie! :-)
Just studied that recipe. It’s sort of what I did with my old recipe that uses melted chocolate. I use 3 eggs, 1 c flour, 2 c sugar, 6 oz choc. You used 5 eggs and a smidge less flour and you also bake in a 9×13 whereas I bake in a 9×9 so they stay a bit thicker. Here’s to fudgy brownie recipes, indeed! :)
Haha I love it, more eggs + less flour = extra fudgy-ness! Those won’t bake up in a smaller pan though, a friend tried and the edges just hot hard while the inside wouldn’t cook. Love brownies :-)
I could see where a 9×13 is instrumental or else you’d have chocolate-butter soup. Probably the best kind of soup ever, but yeah.
WHOA! These look dangerously good, Averie. Like… I might eat half the pan before they’ve even cooled good.
man it’s been ages since I’ve made caramel brownies.
it’s like every time i go to make brownies i have a specific kind i want to make, then 10 minutes goes by and i’m already changing it. lol
hard for me to have recipe in hand and follow it to completion.
Well this batter literally takes about 4-5 mins, tops, to stir together; so you don’t even have time to change your mind!
Holy cow, how did I miss that you have a cookbook coming out?!?!? I clicked on the Amazon link and see its release date is my b-day week, so happy birthday to me, I think. :-) These brownies look divine – you can’t go wrong with fudgy brownies and caramel. Heaven!
I’ve kept it under wraps for a year+ but broke the news last month. It’s been a crazy and fun ride! Happy Bday week to you too :) It falls right around my anniversary and my own bday is just a bit after that, so it will be a fun May-June!
These look amazing!! I usually use the Baked brownie, such a good one, but I always wish I had a go-to recipe using cocoa powder for when I’m at school and don’t feel like dealing with the melting chocolate and butter and cooling it shenanigans. Definitely trying these (though I may replace those caramel squares with dollops of dulce de leche…)! Pinned!
Baked is one of the few cookbooks I don’t have but constantly hear good things about and need to pick it up, asap! There are so many recipes that people always rave about. With these though, it’s soooo easy to just stir a few things together and you’re done! My old recipe is the same too…even though the choc/butter is melted, it’s done in the micro and I don’t wait at all before carrying onto adding eggs, sugars, etc. Either way, both are super fast! Thanks for the Pin!
Look at those chunks of caramel in there. They look wonderful!
My husband is SOOOO particular about his brownies…his absolute favorite dessert….and I always seek a recipe like the one you’ve so brilliantly described and produced!….One which has that “elusive”…wafer-thin, shiny “top” after baking….SHEER..BRILLIANT SUCCESS!…I only hope I can get the “crackle-top” when I attempt to replicate it!
Do tell…is your original brownie recipe (the one you yourself prefer) listed in your blog recipes?
Is it the frosting-covered Nutella-swirled variant?…Does it “produce” the amazing wafer-effect so apparent here?….Your tutorials are simply the best. Thanks for all you share.
I’m not sure I completely understand your comment/question, but the brownie recipe that’s served me well for 5 years is this one http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/05/fudgy-nutella-brownies-with-cream-cheese-frosting.html
You can make it with or without Nutella swirls. It’s a great recipe – I cannot complain about it, at all!
Then there’s the recipe that you’re commenting on, a new favorite.
Cannot go wrong with either!
I love trying new brownie recipes (for texture curiosity reasons). But I’m with you on a fudge-like texture compared to cake-like. Although, to be honest, I’ll pretty much eat any brownie that is put right in front of my face. (When I was prego, I’d make the boxed brownies JUST to eat the batter! I know, crazy!)
Averie, you’ve made these so DELECTABLE! (=
Thanks, Gloria! What you describe with boxed brownie batter was me in junior high and h.s.! :)
This sounds exactly like my kind of brownies-few ingredients and great flavor. Unfortunately, one of the things I gave up for Lent was brownies. (And yes, that is a real sacrifice in my world!) However, Easter will be here before you know it and this is the first recipe on my baking list!!
Thanks for that Caramel Brownies recipe :)
I think it’s fine to cheat on our favorite recipes every now and then! That’s how we make awesome discoveries such as this one.
I’m all about the fudgy brownie too and these look perfect!
Fudgy brownies and caramels – oh yum! Sounds like such gooey deliciousness!
Wow, Averie. I am so making these tomorrow. I would have made them today but I made the Pastry Affair’s Chocolate Oatmeal Flaxseed Muffins, cause I had all the ingredients and I knew my boys needed to eat something yummy when they got home from school. Here they are:
http://www.pastryaffair.com/blog/chocolate-oatmeal-flaxseed-muffins.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ThePastryAffair+%28Pastry+Affair%29
Anyway, I LOVE the look of the brownies you made. They look so soft and moist and delicious! I have all those ingredients but the caramels. My guys actually like to scoop them out of the pan when they are scalding hot and put huge spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream on top and then drizzle chocolate sauce over the top! Sounds so delicious! I will let you know when I make them! :-)
Gah!!! well, there’s always tomorrow :) You have two teenage boys – food goes quick at your house! Not like at a single 20 yr old girl’s apartment. ha!
“scoop them out of the pan when they are scalding hot and put huge spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream on top and then drizzle chocolate sauce over the top” — yes that’s what I did in jr. high and h.s.!! As a blogger, doesn’t make for great pics but boy, it sure tastes amazing.
Okay please LMK when you make these and what you and the family thinks!
Hey Averie. These look fabulous! I love how you just threw those caramel pieces into the brownies. What a treat to take a bit and get a big caramel chunk. We have both been on the same page lately when it comes to sweets. I love that you branched out from your stand by recipe. You’re so brave :) I have a hard time doing that because once I find a recipe that the family and I love, I just get lazy and keep making it over and over. I feel like I found our favorite cake recipe, brownie, chocolate chip cookie and bundt cake recipe (thanks to you). I still want to try your peanut butter cookie recipe with those dark chocolate chunks! Next to caramel and chocolate, I’m a huge peanut butter and chocolate fan. Ok, I’m off to eat one of my chocolate caramel and sea salt brownies. I swear I had to make 3 batches before I found a photo I liked. You see why I only post 2x a week? I’m a crazy person when it comes to getting a photo. I need to just set a time and photo limit on myself. Have a great night girl!
xoxo Jackie
I stuck to that old recipe of mine for 5 yrs and wrote a cookbook with it..and as an avid blog reader, I come across dozens and dozens of new recipes every week, but am not tempted. But then this recipe kept cropping up, all over, and finally I caved – and glad I did. In so many ways, the result looks like your Robert’s brownies and any David L recipe is GOING to be great. I want to try those next, actually!
With the photos, I can’t remake recipes over and over – we’d be flooded. So I have to stand there with the food til I get the shots I want. Sometimes that means dismantling my entire set and staging area and re-doing and starting fresh if I take 50 frames and can tell I am getting no where. I used to be more ‘cutesy’ with my photos with more props but now it’s almost always all wood and metal, with just splashes of color. Any more than that and it’s too much to control/oversee! It’s hard enough just taking the pictures some days, let alone everything else! :)
We LOVE caramel brownies in this house. They are amazing warm out of the oven or frozen!
I cheat when I make those by using a brownie mix. YUM!
And these are as fast and easy as a box, seriously!
These look so yummy! I love the caramel blondies on my blog, caramel goes so well with fudgy treats like this. Have you ever worked with carob or carob powder? I’m beginning to experiment with it and was wondering if you had any advice or a favorite brand.
Carob…I hesitate to use it in baking on my blog b/c people either love it or hate it and many really don’t enjoy it and so I don’t play around with it much anymore. I do love carob chips here and there but for straight up baking, I prefer cocoa powder. Have you ever smelled carob powder? Many people say it smells like stinky feet. I wouldn’t argue…which is why I bake with cocoa. But carob chips are fun to use here and there!
I haven’t gotten my hands on any carob powder yet. I only ask because I’m allergic to cocoa, so I was looking for an alternative that would still let me have yummy looking recipes, like this.
I always forget about your allergy! Yes, if it’s carob powder or nothing, by all means, use it!
These look SO lovely, and it is awesome how easy they are to make. Caramel is a big fav of mine! :)
These look outstanding! :-)
Those brownies look so nice and fudg-y and good!
Gasp – you cheated on your go-to brownies! Lol. Variety is the spice of life, which the elusive “they” say but it’s totally true! Since starting my blog, I rarely ever make the same thing twice – I’m always looking for the next better thing. This brownie is getting mighty high praise from you and your husband. I need to make them NOW after reading this post. And that tunnel of love photo is priceless, I love how it looks like a river of delicious, molten caramel is flowing out.
I almost never make the same thing either, word for word, so to speak. But when I find a great base, i.e. dough base for bread, cookie dough base, or brownie base, I may as well not reinvent the wheel every time. But…so glad I ventured out this time around. It only took 15+ other bloggers and 100’s of their readers to make these though before I did ;)
The huge hunks of caramel in these brownies really made me swoon! The brownie looks delicious, my go to brownie recipe is with melted chocolate, like yours. Last time I made brownies I thought to myself about switching to cocoa powder but I didn’t. I haven’t done my research into it yet but it looks like you did and all those comments and bloggers who love this recipe means it must be a great one! And I enjoy the smaller pan as well, too many sweets with too little time to eat them is often what I am thinking!
Everything you just said from inferior/cocoa powder, to smaller pan, to security in numbers w/ regard to soooo many bloggers/their readership being happy with these. And I will say if you’re ever tempted to cheat, THIS Is the recipe to do it with!
I love fudgy brownies. SO much. The center is my favorite. I love the caramels! What a great idea!
I can’t even imagine cakey brownies…fudgy all the way!
Can’t believe I’m still yet to put caramel in brownies! These look incredible, the perfect level of fudginess.
I just want to pick the caramel pieces out! Sometimes cheating is a good thing right ;-)
Haha – we both cheated on our go-to recipes!! Love these, and that caramel is seriously calling to me.
And I’ve been thinking about the caramel corn of yours ALL DAY!
Well if I wasn’t convinced by the photos and description, I am most certainly convinced by your husband’s “best ever” statement. I can totally get behind trying a new fudgy brownie recipe, especially when caramel is involved. Yum!
That was a big statement for me too, hearing him say that!
I made Deb’s salted carmel brownies a few weeks ago. They were delicous. I thought I had found ‘the-only-brownie-recipe-i-will-ever-use’, but now I am curious and want to make yours. ;) I’ll definitely be giving these a whirl soon!
Great photos!
I saw that recipe of hers, it’s newer and uses melted chocolate (I think? from memory…) and the old me would have said ‘yes, that one is going to be far superior to anything made with cocoa powder’ but the new me has a totally new outlook on cocoa powder. That said, as long as I’m cheating on brownies, I want to try that recipe of hers as well. A few people have said they’ve tried it and I’ve been on blogs who’ve also made them with great reviews.
I don’t know where I’ve been, but I’ve never seen these before. You make them sound irresistible. And as for Hershey’s Special Dark, I wish I’d hoarded it last year, I can’t find it anywhere anymore!
I had resisted them for years but so glad I finally caved!
I used to be able to get Hershey’s Special Dark if I as willing to drive like 30-45 mins north out of the city/metro San Diego and go to more ‘suburban’ grocery stores, i.e. the suburban Ralph’s, Albertson’s, Vons, etc. but now that doesn’t even work. The same thing happened to me in the last year. I wonder if they’re having SoCal regional distribution issues? If you do find it at a major grocery store, LMK. I have heard that Walmart carries it, but I never go to those! Target does not, I’ve stalked mine!
I’m about 30 minutes north of the city (downtown SD) so I’ll keep my eyes open at the regular markets – or ask those shopping for me to look since I can’t get out as much right now.
And I know this is crazy, but at times I’ve seen some of the fancier (name brand) things that aren’t carried regularly in stores anymore end up at the 99 cent store (the regular one, not Dollar Tree) and still with the expiration date plenty far out. So that’s another (random) thought for others to try, too…
I know, the 99cent stores can be great for random stuff as can places like TJMaxx & Marshall’s! When I lived in N. County about 10 yrs ago, the groc stores up there had certain things that urban groc stores don’t get. Weird but true!
Shoveling these brownies into my mouth with a shovel sounds about right. They look rich with chocolate!
Thanks – they are so rich! :)
I need these!! Looks so gooey and fudgy!! :)
I wish I could mail you one! And trade you for all those bakery goodies in your last post :)
Wow, these look amazing, Averie! That’s really high praise you’re giving…I’ve definitely got to try these! (:
You’re going to love them!
If finding a good recipe and then never making it again is cheating, then I am WAY guilty! NO shame there, chica.
I am all about the fudgy, dense brownies, but I never wnat to go the extra melt the chocolate step, and I was under the impression that the real cocoa creates the best brownies, but I love this!! If I do buy baking chocolate, and I do, I end up eating it straight, but cocoa powder I always have on hand.
I don’t know how you can or did resist eating these all gooey and warm from the oven just to get a clean cut. I’m impressed. I eat that shit stright from the pan with a ladle, as you said. It looks really classy when I do it.
These brownies look absolutely delicious!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.blogspot.com
You’re making me want to cheat on my standard brownie recipe. Ya jerk. :)
Cheat away & LMK how it goes!
I love cocoa brownies, these look fab!
I made these brownies as a part of my BB Mondays. They.are.amazing! To say the least. :) Love your addition of caramels! PS: The tunnel of love pic – SWOON!! :)
I didn’t know you made them, too! Another person who’s in love with the recipe – I knew there was a reason I cheated :)
Ohhh wow! All that caramel in that fudgey deliciousness? I normally leave most brownie making to my mom– she does it way better than I ever could. But with THESE? I think I might give her a run for her money
And they’re easy. You two should have a bake-off :)
Just Awesome! The the contrast of colors!!
They remind me of your blog colors :)
OH.MY.GOODNESS. These look so decadent and incredible, Averie! You know I love baking your recipes for my students, and this one is definitely going on the list! WOW!
I would have given my right arm for a teacher like you! My daughter for things like bday parties, at her school, the kids aren’t even allowed to bring in cake. They have to bring in airpopped popcorn, popsicles, rice cakes, fruit cups, veggie sticks or something similar. No candy, cookies, baked goods, or cake. It’s a little overboard!
Nuggets of caramel? HECK YES! Caramel brownies are my husband’s all time favorite dessert. I’ll have to mix things up a bit and try this version
The voices in my head are loving your perfect, equidistant caramel placings in that brownie batter. It’s the little things…
For me too, always, the little things!
I have one go-to brownie recipe that I NEVER stray from…it’s just too good. And the caramel – I would just eat them all before I got any into the brownies!
Well if it’s on your blog, I need to see it! I felt the same about my old recipe Cassie. Like, I just couldn’t…it took years of convincing and like 10 other blogs to make this and for literally hundreds of their readers to chime in with glowing praise for me to cave and glad I did!
I know what you mean about the cocoa powder mindset, and I was totally skeptical too…and then this base brownie recipe became our favorite! Love that you added caramels and with your husband’s praise, I can’t imagine any chocolate lover who would be able to resist trying these.
Ok, you’re another person who’s chimed in now to say you’ve made this brownie base and I trust you know what’s what in the kitchen! Glad you got over your cocoa powder inferiority complex, too :)
I am 100% with you on fudgy brownies. I love the idea of incorporating caramel into brownies. They look phenomenal! And I agree with Aimee – I could eat the entire pan!
How on earth did you wait a whole hour before eating these?? My perfect brownie is the one that has a light dusting of icing sugar on top, but its not too sweet (dark choc is my fav)
Overnight, actually. Trust me, I bake so much that it doesn’t even tempt me anymore to tear in immediately! I need the pics to turn out before I can think about that :)
Caramel desserts are my weakness. And combined with brownies? I could eat the whole pan!!!
I’ll take some extra fudginess in brownies any day–and chips or caramels are my favorite add-ins, though my husband likes little blobs of PB swirled in. I always love frosting on just about anything, but these look too good as is! I have always thought melted chocolate gives fudgier results than cocoa powder too–but just looking at these tells me otherwise! I can say that when it comes to cocoa powder, I doubt if I’ll ever cheat on Hershey’s special dark. I can only find it at Wal-Mart so I buy a few at a time!
I go to Walmart like once every 3 years! It’s a trek for me to even find one but I’m about to go b/c I need Special Dark and everyone says they carry it there. And I am normally a must-have-frosting girl but these, Paula, don’t need it! And if anything, it would actually be overkill! You’ll never look at cocoa powder-based brownies the same way, I promise!
When I cheated on my ole faithful brownie recipe with this one, I didn’t feel the least bit guilty after I took one big bite. I’m so glad you made them Averie and thanks for linking back to my ultimates. I think this incredible brownie recipe is fabulous on its own with an add-in or two like caramel or peanut butter chips. But with my experience trying to make these into cheesecake swirl brownies, I’ve come to learn that these soft, dense, and thick brownies are just TOO good to add much else to! I’m SO glad you made them because my words of convincing can only do so much! These truly are one of the best brownie recipes I’ve ever made. And my perfect brownie would involve peanut butter and/or caramel and/or mint in some way. And I like the edges of the brownies. :) The chewy corner pieces from the pan are my favorite part!
Between your words, Deb have 765 people writing in with glowing reviews, as well as dozens of other bloggers and their readers making them, I was like…okay, I have to stop holding steadfast to my other recipe and try these! And so glad I did. Then, when I read your post today about trying this recipe with swirling things and it not working well; it actually made me feel good (not b/c of what happened to you!) but because in my book I included 3 or 4 diff brownie recipes but my base dough was my other one, the melted/butter choc and I have to say, I LOVED every recipe and then was worried well maybe, what if, maybe I should have used this one…but then, when I read what you wrote, it made me feel relief like my swirled recipes wouldn’t have turned out well anyway. Long way of saying…you just never know with any of this stuff til you try and play around, right!
Normally I love half-raw center cuts, but with these, I found myself cherry-picking off the edge pieces! :)
My favorite brownie is moist and fudgey and wonderful warm and cold. You can find it here: http://thecookingcampaign.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-brownies-with-power-to-make-any-day.html
Interesting your recipe comes from Deb – she always knows what she’s talking about!
There’s nothing wrong with cheating! I would do it too, especially if these brownies are the end product!
You just got me in trouble with my man! I made the mistake of showing him this recipe and then reading your suggested recipes. He groaned after I read each one just like it was torture to hear and see them without being able to taste!
I love your comment and I can actually hear it in my mind unfolding, play by play, recipe by recipe. Lol
These look so amazing! I have been experimenting with different brownie recipes and, when it comes down to it, my husband and I haven’t liked any better than a mix yet. I’ll have to try this recipe next since it has such high praise! Plus, how can you go wrong with caramel!? Delicious.
If you’ve never been wow’ed, THIS is the recipe to do it. As easy as a box, with results 10000x better!