Dark Chocolate Brownies (with Salted Caramel)
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Mar. 22, 2024
These Dark Chocolate Brownies with Salted Caramel are wonderfully thick, fudgy, and drizzled with warm homemade salted caramel sauce that truly takes them to the next level.
In This Article
- Why This Recipe Stands Out
- Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
- Key Recipe Ingredients
- Homemade salted caramel sauce
- Substitutions And Variations
- Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- How To Prep Ahead
- Commonly Asked Questions
- Did you make this?
- Dark Chocolate Brownies (With Salted Caramel) Recipe
- More to bake and eat
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Why This Recipe Stands Out
We all love a good brownie, but when it’s a dark chocolate brownie with salted caramel, it’s a game-changer. Here’s why this recipe is a standout:
- Absolutely Delicious: These brownies are dense, rich, and fudgy, hitting the sweet spot just right – not too sweet, not too bitter. They remind me of our Fudgy Brownies!
- Easy to Make: No fancy equipment or techniques required, just simple, straightforward baking resulting in a delicious chocolate treat.
- Versatile: The base recipe is perfect on its own, but you can easily add nuts, dried fruit, or a splash of your favorite liqueur to make it your own as we do in our Best Chocolate Pie Recipe.
- Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce: Salted caramel sauce drizzled over fudgy dark chocolate brownies is the best combo ever!
- Perfect for Any Occasion: I haven’t met a single person who hasn’t fallen in love with these brownies! They’re great for special occasions or when you want something indulgent at home.
Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Salted Butter – Two sticks of salt butter give these brownies a rich, buttery flavor that’s simply irresistible.
- Good Quality Unsweetened Chocolate – It’ll help add a deep, intense chocolatey flavor to our brownies.
- Large Eggs – Four large eggs, lightly beaten, help bind our brownies together, making them moist and fudgy.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – A teaspoon of this extract enhances the chocolate flavor of our brownies.
- All-Purpose Flour – It gives our brownies structure and a chewy texture.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Half a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder adds a rich, chocolatey flavor to our brownies.
- Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate Chips – One cup of these chocolate chips adds a gooey, chocolatey deliciousness to our brownies.
Homemade salted caramel sauce
You only need 4 ingredients to make salted caramel sauce at home. One taste and you’ll never go back to store-bought. Plus, it keeps extremely well in a jar in the fridge.
This tasty salted caramel sauce is not only great over brownies, but it’s also perfect over ice cream, sliced apples, popcorn, cheesecake, and anything else you want to smother it on!
Substitutions And Variations
Here are some of our favorite substitution and variation ideas:
- Chocolate Chips: Feel free to swap bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips with white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or even peanut butter chips for a fun twist. Our Peanut Butter Brownies are another delicious treat you’ll love.
- Nuts: To add a crunchy texture, you can add roasted, chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans.
- Liqueur: For a special touch, consider adding a splash of your favorite liqueur. Amaretto, whiskey, or coffee liqueur would all pair beautifully with the chocolate and salt caramel flavors.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, folding them together. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour the brownie batter into a prepared pan and bake for 27-30 minutes at 350F, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached.
- Heat sugar in a saucepan, whisking frequently. Once it starts melting, whisk continuously until all clumps are melted down.
- Cook melted sugar until it turns red-brown. Add all the butter when the thermometer reads 350F, whisking until completely melted.
- Remove pan from heat, pour in the cream, and whisk until a smooth sauce forms. Whisk in the flaky salt. Allow to cool and then drizzle the desired amount of caramel sauce over cut brownies.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
These Dark Chocolate Brownies with Salt Caramel are an absolute treat and we’ve got some great prep-ahead tips to make the process even smoother. Take a look:
- Make Sauce in Advance: The salt caramel sauce can be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. When you’re ready to use it, simply warm it up for a few seconds to make it pourable again
- Entirely Make Ahead: These brownies can be baked ahead of time and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. They also freeze beautifully. Simply wrap the brownies well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Commonly Asked Questions
What type of chocolate should I use for the brownies?
Definitely use good quality unsweetened chocolate for these brownies. Because we all know the brownies will taste like the chocolate they were made from.
Do I have to use salt in the caramel sauce?
The salt in the caramel sauce is what gives it that delicious sweet and salty flavor, but if you prefer you can leave it out. However, we recommend using a flaky sea salt for the best results.
Can I use a different-sized baking pan for the brownies?
Yes, you can. However, using a different size pan will affect the baking time and the thickness of the brownies. We recommend sticking to a 13×9-inch pan for this recipe.
How long does the salted caramel sauce keep?
The salt caramel sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
What’s the best way to store these brownies?
These brownies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you want to keep them for longer, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Just make sure to wrap them well to prevent freezer burn.
Did you make this?
Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!
Dark Chocolate Brownies (With Salted Caramel)
These dark chocolate brownies are dense, rich, fudgy, and the perfect sweetness. The salted caramel drizzle is optional, but it's not 🙂 This salted caramel sauce is also perfect for ice-cream, popcorn, apple slices, etc.
Ingredients
For the Brownies:
- 1 cup salted butter, 2 sticks, softened
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, good quality
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten, room temp
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, or semisweet chocolate chips
Optional Salted Caramel Sauce:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 12 TB unsalted butter, sliced into pieces, and softened
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 TB flaky sea salt, you can use kosher salt if you can’t find the flaky salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, and lightly grease a 13×9 baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large, heavy saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Stir frequently until smooth and combined.
- Remove from heat and stir in sugar until combined. Add eggs and vanilla. Whisk by hand to combine thoroughly.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, add dry mixture to the wet mixture gradually, folding together until just combine. Do not over-mix, as little lumps remaining are fine. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Transfer brownie batter to prepared pan. Bake 27-30 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached. Do not bake until toothpick comes out totally clean, or it might be over-baked. Cool completely before cutting.
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- In a heavy saucepan, place sugar in even layer. Heat sugar over medium-high, whisking frequently. Once it starts melting, whisk continuously as it cooks, until all clumps are melted down. Turn heat down to medium, insert candy thermometer into the melted sugar, and continue stirring until melted sugar turns red-brown.
- The minute your thermometer reads 350F, add all the butter – caramel may bubble up aggressively when you do this. Whisk until completely melted. Immediately remove pan from heat, carefully pour in the cream, and whisk until a smooth sauce forms.Whisk in the flaky salt. Let sauce cool until it's manageable before transferring to a jar. Drizzle desired amount of caramel sauce over cut brownies. Save rest of sauce in fridge for future use on anything you like!
Notes
- Always remember to let your brownies cool completely before cutting them. This helps them to set and makes for a cleaner cut.
- When melting your butter and chocolate, do it over low heat to prevent the chocolate from burning.
- Don’t skip the step of lining your baking pan with parchment paper or greasing it well. This will make it much easier to remove the brownies from the pan and will also make cleaning up a lot easier.
- Use a good quality unsweetened chocolate for your brownies. The better the quality, the better flavor your brownies will have.
- Fold in your chocolate chips at the end to avoid over-mixing the batter. Over-mixed batter can make the brownies tougher.
- Always use a candy thermometer for your caramel. This will help you to know when it’s reached the perfect temperature and prevent it from burning.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 570kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 218mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 904IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 2mg
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