Mmm, Mmm, Chocolate Caramel Brownies!

Holiday Chocolate Caramel Brownies recipe

Featured item: DEC 24, 2007

Cocoa brownies are the chewiest and most divine to give or to receive. Baking a holiday gift makes you feel virtuous and it makes your house smell really nice, too.

Purchasing fair trade cocoa helps support sustainable agriculture in foreign countries and that a fair price was paid to farmers and workers.

Creating something with your two little hands for the holidays says "I love you" a lot more than a pair of PJ bottoms from the chain store at the mall. And brownies...well, who doesn't love a brownie? Place them in a parchment lined box and tie neatly with ribbon.

To complete your gift, why not buy a bottle—a glass bottle—of whole milk from a local dairy? Show up on the doorstep Christmas morning with that in your gift basket and prepare yourself for a warm embrace (at the very least).

For such an ultra-rich chocolate treat, this recipe is surprisingly simple and nearly fool-proof. I Promise. Just follow the easy directions and remember to lick the bowl (I left that part out, but you know what to do).

Even more virtuous, the caramel brownies are also executed "unplugged" so there’s no need for a mixer, just a toned bicep for stirring. Think of the energy you're conserving by (a) making something by hand and (b) not driving to the mall. And of course, organic cocoa, butter and eggs make the brownies all the more delicious. Sure hope Santa's watching!—Susie Quick

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

Brownies made from cocoa are chewy by nature. Add caramel to the mix and we're talking brownie Nirvana. You can use walnuts as well as pecans or skip the nuts altogether if you wish. Use plain toffee bits without the chocolate.

Makes 9 large, or 18 medium brownies

Ingredients:
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup toffee bits

Equipment:
One 8-inch square baking pan

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325-degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides so you can pull the brownies out of the pan. Spray the inside of the pan with cooking oil.

2. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium metal bowl. Place said bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the sugar is partially dissolved. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is barley warm (do not let it get cold).

3. Whisk in the vanilla and the eggs, stirring vigorously until the mixture looks thick, shiny, and well blended. Fold in the flour. Once the flour is blended in, beat the mixture vigorously for about 40 strokes (it will look quite thick and shiny, like frosting). Stir in the nuts. Spread evenly in the lined pan. Scatter the toffee bits over the top.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sides of the brownie come away from the edge of the pan. Let cool completely in the pan on a rack.

5. Lift up the ends of the foil; transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 9 squares or 18 rectangles.