Moist and chewy caramel brownies! These Salted Caramel Brownies are a classic brownie with chewy caramel on top and dusted with flaky sea salt for a sweet and salty dessert that everyone will love.
If you are looking for more brownie recipes, check out my Eggless Chocolate Ganache Brownies, Sourdough Chocolate Chip Brownies, or my Vegan Thin Mint Brownies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
When I owned my bake shop, this was a customer favorite. People would ask for these all the time! These simple brownies with chewy caramel on top are a sweet and salty dessert that everyone will love.
These Salted Caramel Brownies start out with a classic moist and fudgy brownie and it’s topped with homemade chewy salted caramel (this is not caramel sauce people!). It’s like making homemade chewy caramel candies on top of brownies!
These chewy caramel brownies are better than just adding caramel sauce to your brownie because traditional caramel sauce can melt into the brownies. It also won’t harden completely, so you can’t stack the brownies or serve them on a platter for a party. They are also incredibly messy if you use caramel sauce on top of brownies.
That’s what makes these Salted Caramel Brownie so special. In order to have the best chewy caramel brownies experience, you have to make your own caramel candy on top of the brownies! This way, the caramel will set, and you can touch it without getting your hands all sticky. Plus, it’s chewy like your favorite caramel candy, giving these Salted Caramel Brownies a run for everyone else’s money.
How to Make Salted Caramel Brownies
Step 1
First step is making the batter. You can do this in a stand mixer, with a hand mixer, or in a bowl with a whisk or spoon. This brownie recipe is really easy, and you can mix it up however you want to! First step is adding the cane sugar, canola oil, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips to your bowl. Then pout the boiling water directly over the chocolate chips (to melt them), and stir immediately to combine so you have a smooth chocolate.
Step 2
Next, add the egg, flour, vanilla bean, baking powder, sea salt, and mix to combine. Do not over mix, you don’t want to over mix brownie batter! Mix just until it comes together and there’s no bits of flour.
Step 3
Transfer this batter to a prepared 9 x 9-inch baking pan and bake them off until a toothpick (or butter knife) comes out clean. Allow the brownies to cool.
Step 4
I make a true caramel candy for the topping. True caramel means that I only use three ingredients: cane sugar, butter, and heavy whipping cream. There’s no corn syrup, water or anything else. I use the dry burning technique to dry burn the sugar, then add in the butter, then the cream. This makes the absolute best caramel in my opinion. It’s the only caramel I will eat. I used to never like caramel anything, until I started making my own using the dry burning technique, it just tastes so pure and amazing!
You will cook the sugar over medium heat, stirring it, while it melts completely into a liquid. Make sure the sugar is completely liquid before moving onto the next step. With this process of making caramel, if you have any sugar clumps and you add in butter those will never melt and your caramel will have clumps in it.
Once the sugar is completely liquid, add in the butter and stir combine completely. Then, add in the cream a little at a time, and stir to combine completely.
Step 5
Pour the caramel over the top of the brownies and spread evenly. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
FAQ’s
Do I need a mixer for this recipe?
Nope! You do not need a stand mixer or hand mixer for this recipe. Though, it will make it faster and easier, in my opinion, which is why I always use my mixer. But you can easily make these brownies with a bowl and whisk or wooden spoon!
Can I use another kind of oil?
Yes, if you don’t want to use canola oil you can use coconut oil (if it’s melted) or you can also use extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil. I prefer canola oil in this recipe as it’s the most neutral flavor.
Can I use milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips?
Yes, if you don’t want to use dark you can swap for milk chocolate chips or semi sweet! Either option will be fine and will taste amazing.
What if I don’t have vanilla bean?
You can use vanilla extract in place of vanilla bean, but be sure to use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for 1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla bean, as vanilla bean is more flavorful so you’ll need to use more vanilla extract in this recipe.
What if I don’t have flaky sea salt?
If you don’t have the flaky sea salt, just sprinkle some regular sea salt on top. Totally fine! You’ll still get that amazing sweet and salty flavor! I just prefer the flaky sea salt for the look.
How should I store these Salted Caramel Brownies?
Brownies are moist and chewy so they always need to be store in an airtight container. You can wrap them in plastic wrap, use a tupeprware, or a zip bag. They should stay at room temperature so the caramel stays nice and chewy.
Ingredients for Salted Caramel Brownies
Costco Kirkland Organic Cane Sugar
La Tourangelle Organic Canola Oil
NuNaturals Organic Dutch Cocoa Powder
Nuts.com Organic Dark Chocolate Chips
Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour
Lafaza Organic Ground Vanilla Bean
Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream
Why Organic
Why use organic ingredients in this recipe? You all know I’m a huge organic advocate, and I bet you may be thinking sometimes, Why would I even bother to use organic ingredients in something that is so sweet and indulgent? But, that is the exact reason why you should use organic ingredients! Sweet things need to have flavor in order to be good, otherwise they are just sweet and they don’t taste like much else. Organic ingredients are more pure than conventional ones, therefore they actually have more flavor than the non organic options. Say it with me, organic means more flavor! And not just more flavor but a more true and pure flavor. And organic ingredients are much healthier for you to eat in general as they do not contain GMOs or anything artificial. Plus, you are being environmentally friendly when you choose organic ingredients!
So, I highly recommend that you buy the best organic ingredients for this recipe! You can also shop my Amazon Storefront for all my favorite organic ingredients here. Tip – hover over each ingredient to see the name. And if you want to learn more about organic foods and the difference, read my post here on Food Labels and What They Mean.
These Salted Caramel Brownies are brownies with chewy caramel on top, making them a sweet and salty dessert that is decadent and irresistible!
Ingredients
- Batter
226 grams (1 cup) organic cane sugar
113 grams (1/2 cup) organic canola oil
57 grams (2/3 cup) organic Dutch cocoa powder
57 grams (heaping 1/4 cup) organic dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup boiling water
1 organic large egg
212 grams (1 2/3 cups) organic all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon organic ground vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Topping
170 grams (3/4 cup) organic cane sugar
4 tablespoons (57 grams) organic salted butter
1/4 cup organic heavy whipping cream
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cane sugar, canola oil, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate chips. Pour the boiling water directly on top of the chocolate chips and mix on low on until combined and the chocolate has completely melted and there are no chunks.
- Add the egg, flour, vanilla bean, baking powder, and sea salt in that order. Mix on low until combined, do not over mix. Transfer to the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to completely in the baking pan.
- To make the topping: In a small pot, add the cane sugar. Once the sugar on the bottom starts to melt, stir with a high heat spatula to keep from burning. The dry sugar will then sink to the bottom, so it can melt. Sugar clumps will form until the sugar turns into a liquid.
- Once the sugar has completely melted into a liquid, add the butter. Be careful because steam will rise up quickly. Stir rapidly until the mixture is combined.
- Once the butter is completely combined, add in the cream a little at a time. Be careful, because the cream is colder than the sugar mixture so more steam will rise up quickly. Stir rapidly to combine completely when each amount of cream is added.
- Pour the caramel over the top of the brownies. Allow to set until the caramel has cooled completely or overnight.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Cut into 9 brownies.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Gluten Free – Replace the all-purpose flour with a scant 212 grams (1 1/3 cups) organic gluten-free flour blend.
- High Altitude – Bake at 350°F for 18 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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