Anna Jones’ Salted Caramel Crack Brownies

by | Feb 10, 2015

INGREDIENTS

MAKES 12 GOOD-SIZED BROWNIES

FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL

  • 50g unsalted butter or coconut oil, plus a little for greasing
  • 100g unrefined golden caster sugar
  • a hearty pinch of flaky sea salt (we tried the Vanilla here and it works beautifully, try the Smoked for something different)
  • 3 tablespoons milk

FOR THE BROWNIES

  • 150g dark chocolate (70%)
  • 150g unsalted butter or coconut oil
  • 250g unrefined golden caster sugar or light muscovado sugar
  • 3 organic or free-range eggs
  • 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract or the seeds from 1 vanilla pod
  • 100g rye flour, or light spelt or plain flour

We’re going to put it out there that we think this is one of the best brownie recipes we’ve ever baked from.

In fact, the fabulous Anna Jones, (deemed ‘the new Nigella’ by The Times), who wrote the recipe, boldly says ‘find me someone who doesn’t like these and I’ll deliver you a batch myself.’

They are blissful, and the perfect bake for a Valentine sweetheart.

First make the caramel. Lay a piece of baking paper over a shallow tray and rub the upper surface of the paper with oil. Put the sugar into a pan and place on a medium heat. Watching it carefully, let it heat and melt until almost all the sugar grains have gone. Then quickly pull the pan off the heat, add your butter or coconut oil, and beat off the heat for a minute or so. Add the salt and coconut milk and beat again. Pop back on the heat for 2–3 minutes and beat vigorously until the mixture has darkened and thickened and any sugary lumps have gone. Pour on to the greased paper and place in the freezer to harden for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4, and butter and line a small brownie tin with baking paper (mine is 20 × 20 cm but anything around that will do).

While the caramel is chilling, make your brownie mix. Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add the chocolate and the butter or coconut oil and let them melt, stirring from time to time. Once melted, take the bowl off the heat and stir in the sugar, followed by the eggs, one by one, and finally the vanilla and the flour.

Once your caramel has hardened, take it out of the fridge. Chop a third of it into small pieces and stir into the brownie mix. Chop the rest into chunky 1cm pieces.

Pour the brownie mix into the lined tin and scatter over the larger chunks of salted caramel. Bake for 25 minutes, until just cooked – a crust will have formed on top and the caramel will have melted into deep amber pools. Leave to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. I know this will be hard, but the caramel will be very hot.

These will keep for 4 days in an airtight tin. I dare you to make them last an afternoon.

Image: Brian W Ferry.

Recipe taken from the brilliant A Modern Way to Eat

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