Salted Caramel Brownies

The recent snow has made the Chew Valley especially beautiful in the last week, but all the shovelling and gritting calls for a special treat this weekend, so I’m baking some fudgy brownies with an unusual salted caramel filling.

When done well, salted caramel is one of my favourite sweet treats, the combination of sweetness with the sharp tang of salt is especially moreish.

I start by making the salted caramel filling, which has to cool before being spread as a gooey layer in the middle of the brownie sandwich. I put some golden raw organic sugar (we prefer Rapadura or Panela for this) in a pan to caramelise on a medium heat, then add double cream and unsalted butter to form an unctuous foaming caramel.

The kitchen smells amazing! A pinch of sea salt adds the all-important salinity.

Next put the best quality cocoa you can get in a mixing bowl with plain flour and quarter of a teaspoon of sea salt.

In a bain-marie, temper good-quality dark chocolate and unsalted butter. When it’s all melted, add light raw muscovado sugar and raw organic sugar and organic free-range eggs. Mix them together then gently fold into the dry ingredients.

Spoon half of the brownie batter into a rectangular tin lined with greaseproof, then carefully pour over the cooled salted caramel filling and spread into the corners of the tin. Then spoon the remaining brownie batter over the top to complete the sandwich.

I gently slide the tin onto the middle shelf of the oven and wait (impatiently) for 25 mins (our fan assisted oven bakes quite quickly).

The baked brownies have to cool on a rack for longer than usual, as the caramel gets incredibly hot and oozing!

Brownie Squares