Hard Core Brownies with Caramel Sauce
Easy, Moderate, Complex
Yield: 8 large triangles
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup good cocoa powder 60 g)
- 3/4 cup flour 85 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 g)
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 170 g)
- 1 3/4 cups sugar 395)
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 ml)
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled 115 g)
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips 225 g)
- 1 cup chopped pecans 225 g)
- For the Caramel Sauce
- 2 cups sugar 450 g)
- 1 cup water 250 ml)
- 1 cup 35% cream 250 ml)
- Pinch coarse salt
- Dash of cayenne pepper
Method
- Stir together cocoa powder, flour and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until thick and lemon-colored, about 2 minutes. Blend in vanilla and chocolate. Slowly add cocoa-flour mixture, mixing until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, saving some pecans back for garnishing the top.
- Generously butter and flour a 13×9-inch pan 33 X 23 cm). You can also use a springform 25X6 cm).
- Fill pan with batter. Dot with pecans.
- Place pan in center of 350 degree oven 177 C).
- Bake until wood pick inserted in center comes out moist from melted chocolate not batter), about 25 minutes. The top will likely start to show some cracks – it is drier than the interior. Let cool completely on rack. Cut into 12 squares, or if using a round springform pan cut into a nice big triangle. Top with warm caramel sauce and a small scoop of your favourite vanilla ice cream.
- For the Caramel Sauce
- Place water and sugar in a saucepan.
- On medium heat bring to a bare boil to dissolve the sugar and then jack up the heat to a full rolling boil and let it boil away for 20 – 30 minutes until brownish. Do not touch it.
- As soon as it is med brown add the cream and whisk to incorporate. The sugar will clump but gradually be mixed in to the ‘syrup’.
- Continue to boil until thicker. It will thicken even more as it cools. Serve warm on top of the brownie a with a scoop of best vanilla ice cream