Salted Caramel Brownies

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a 9×9 pan with aluminum foil, leaving a few inches hanging over the sides (this foil will turn into handles to lift the brownies out of the pan later). Spray the foil generously with nonstick spray, paying special attention to the corners and sides. Set aside.

Put the stick of butter into a microwave-safe bowl. Put it into the microwave for several seconds and melt the stick of butter. Add the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir and if the chocolate isn’t fully melted, microwave for additional 30-second intervals until smooth, stirring in between.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together sugar, eggs and vanilla until incorporated. Add in the butter/chocolate and mix until thick and glossy (about a minute). Stir in the flour and table salt until just combined.

Pour half of this mixture into the greased pan and spread it to the corners. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove it from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes.

Place the caramels, cream and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat it in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth and creamy. Pour this caramel over the cooked brownies and spread to the corners. Pour the rest of the brownie mixture evenly over the caramel (don’t dump it all in the middle or it will be hard to spread) and spread to the corners.

Sprinkle 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of sea salt on top of the brownie batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the center is set. Cool completely before lifting the brownies out of the pan using the foil ‘handles’.

Adapted from The Pastry Queen Cookbook.