Salted Caramel Brownies

This week calls for brownies.  The holiday weekend is over.  Summer is over.  The streets of NYC are packed again with everyone back to school and back to work. Yep, definitely need some brownies this week.  And while we’re at it, might as well add a salted caramel drizzle on top.  Just because.  The week is looking up already.

This recipe is from the one and only Ina Garten.  I’ve been dying to make these since I saw them on her show.  The brownie is rich and fudgy, the caramel swirl is so sweet and buttery, and the flaked sea salt on top just ties the whole thing together.  They are nothing short of amazing! I’m not sure why she calls specifically for Hershey’s chocolate chips in the recipe, but who am I to argue with Ina?  I made TheBetterHalf go buy that exact brand for me, and in true NYC fashion it took him 3 grocery stores to find them.  All in the name of brownies.  The only change I made to the recipe is adding 2 teaspoons of instant coffee instead of the 1 ½ tablespoons that Ina calls for.  Coffee brings out the chocolate flavor in baked goods but I didn’t want to actually taste coffee in my brownies, so I reduced the amount.  Everything else was perfect – these brownies so good!  Definitely a good cure for the end of summer blues.

I used Trader Joe’s salted caramel sauce for my drizzle, so I went a little lighter on the sea salt on top

Look at that caramel drizzle!

So gooey!

Salted Caramel Brownies
Recipe from Ina Garten 

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter
8 ounces plus 6 ounces Hershey’s semisweet chocolate chips
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
5-6 ounces caramel sauce
2-3 teaspoons flaked sea salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9x12x1 ½ inch baking pn.

Melt the butter, 8 ounces of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate together in a medium bowl set over simmering water, stirring frequently. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together ½ cup of the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold it into the chocolate mixture. Toss the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl, and add it to the chocolate mixture. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Place the jar of caramel sauce without the lid in a microwave, and heat until it is just pourable. Stir the caramel until it is smooth, then drizzle it evenly over the hot brownies. Sprinkle with sea salt, and cool completely before cutting.