Caramel Mocha and Nutella Brownies
Listen to what cousin Ellen is saying about Caramel Mocha and Nutella Brownies: “Perfect brownies”, “crunchy and soft at the same time”, “not too sweet”.
Let me tell you that these are high praises from Ellen…she is the brownie queen! She is regularly sending me recipes for “the best brownies ever”! She happened to be over when I had completed a batch and was blown away by these ones. And she is correct…this is the perfect brownie!
Perfect because it has this crunchy top and smooth but chewy interior. The “smooth” is because of the Nutella laced through the middle. Dang, that’s good! Perfect because there is Kahlua and espresso powder flavoring these brownies which keeps them from being cloyingly sweet. And perfect because there are home-made toffee shards placed on the top prior to baking which gives it the crunch and the salted caramel flavor. Can I just say that these truly are the best brownies EVER???!!! Ellen agrees!
How do we end up with this amazing treat? We start by making the salted caramel toffee. In a pot, melt sugar until it turns golden brown, about 8 minutes. Then, mix in butter and cream and stir together until it’s thickened, another 5 minutes or so. finally, add a little salt and tip mixture out onto parchment paper and let it harden.
While that’s happening, make your brownie batter by melting butter and chocolate chips together in the microwave. Then add sugar, espresso powder, Kahlúa and vanilla. Whisk the eggs until they are foamy and then add those to the chocolate mixture.
Next, add in the dry ingredients. Flour, cocola powder, baking powder and salt get stirred into the chocolate mixture until just combined. As you’ll know from previous posts, don’t over-mix the batter. You have foamed-up the eggs to give some lightness to the batter and the last thing you want it is to deflate and end up with brownies that are like hockey pucks! No no no! Add in some more chocolate chips and now you are ready to assemble.
Spread half of the batter into the baking pan. Dollop spoonfuls of Nutella over the batter and then spoon the rest of the batter over the Nutella. It’s okay if some of the Nutella peeks through or isn’t covered by the batter.
Break up the hardened caramel and stick shards of the caramel into the top of the brownie batter. Bake for about 30 minutes until the brownies are just set. Cool them or don’t…it’s soooo difficult to wait, so go for it!
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Caramel Mocha and Nutella Brownies
Makes: 16 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
Caramel:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Flaky sea salt
Brownies:
- 1 & 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) salted butter
- 1 & 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, or milk chocolate, chips
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp instant coffee/espresso
- 1 tbsp Kahlúa
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Nutella
Instructions
To make the caramel, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium pot, cook the sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has melted and turns a golden caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the chunks of butter, whisking until combined. Then, stir in the cream. Return the pot to medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring until the caramel has thickened and easily coats the back of your spoon, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in a pinch of salt. Pour onto the parchment paper. Freeze in the freezer for 20 minutes to harden.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment paper.
In the microwave, melt together the butter and 1 cup chocolate chips (stirring at 30-second intervals) until melted and smooth. Stir in the sugar, coffee powder, Kahlúa, and vanilla.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs for 1 minute until bubbly on top. Stir the eggs into the chocolate mix. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Evenly spread half the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Dollop spoonfuls of Nutella over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter over top, using a spoon to lightly smooth out the batter. It’s ok if the batter does not cover up all the Nutella.
Grab the caramel piece from the freezer and break/cut into pieces. Stick the caramel into the brownies, you may not need all of the caramel. Bake 28-30 minutes or until the brownies are just set. Let cool…or cut and enjoy warm.
Recipe from Half Baked Harvest
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