Fudge Caramel Brownies

Perfect fudge caramel brownies with real chocolate

I always treated this dessert calmly and I didn’t understand people who adored it. It seemed to me that homemade brownies are similar to a moist chocolate cake, and a purchased one contains so many chemicals that it’s better to bypass it. But, once prepared this dessert, I fell in love with it finally and irrevocably. No more chocolate sponge cakes with pieces of chocolate to make it look like fudge brownies!

All brownies can be divided into 2 categories: similar to a cake (cakey/cakelike brownies) and brownies with thick, viscous filling, similar to fudge (fudgy/chewy brownies). The ingredients and the cooking method affect the result. If there is no melted chocolate in brownies, but only cut one or chocolate drops, if you use cacao instead of chocolate or if there are very few eggs in the dessert - your brownies will be similar to a chocolate cake or a sponge cake. If you use melted chocolate, add one extra egg, and the mass is whipped carefully - the brownies will have a viscous chocolate center, true fudgy brownies.

There are, of course, blondies - the brownies without milk or dark chocolate, let it be your next masterpiece.

Ingredients:

Brownies:

• 1 butter pack, room temperature (200 g),
• 200 g chocolate or chocolate drops,
  you may use the mixture of 100 g milky and 100 g bitter chocolate; lovers of chocolate, don’t add more than 250 g ;)
• 4 eggs,
• 1 ¾ cups (350 g) fine granulated sugar,
  you may use the mixture of 250 g of moist brown sugar and 100 g of fine granulated sugar,
• 1 cup flour (130 g),
• 1 tsp. salt.

Caramel:

• ½ cup white sugar (100 g),
  lack of additions let white sugar better caramelize, and you’ll understand the readiness of caramel due to the color,
• 3 tbsp. butter, room temperature (45 g),
• ¼ cup heavy 30% cream (60 ml),
• (optionally) 4 teaspoons (20 ml) brandy or cognac.

Process:

Caramel:

• cut the butter into cubes,
• put sugar into the saucepan and put the saucepan over a medium or low heat,
  the lower the heat, the easier you see any issue,
  don’t stir the sugar mixture, otherwise sugar crystallize and the mass will be with lumps,

• pour heavy cream into the second saucepan and put it over a medium heat,
  the heavy cream should always be semi-bowling,
• boil the caramel till 170º C - 200º C (338° F - 392° F), if you don’t have the thermometer, just look at it carefully, in this range all the sugar melt and the mass will have the caramel color (light - more milky, dark - nutty flavor),
  if the part of the sugar has melted, and the part has become “a big lump”, either tilt and rotate the saucepan carefully, or use a wooden spatula, and stir it very carefully,
  use only the wooden one, it won't melt like the plastic one,
• pour the hot cream into the melted sugar slowly, whisking constantly, the caramel may foam and splash, be careful,

• reduce the fire to minimum and boil the mass for a couple of minutes, the temperature will reduce to 130º C (266° F),
• remove the saucepan from the heat and the caramel will cool down, minimum till 90º C (194° F), for about five minutes,
• add butter, cut into cubes, and mix it, you may use the blender, the butter should melt completely,

• add brandy or cognac, if you use it, and whisk, so that the caramel should become homogeneous.

Preparation:

• preheat the oven to 175º C (350° F),
• line a deep baking tray with parchment or baking paper,
• if you use chocolate, break it.

The butter mixture:

• melt the butter with chocolate or chocolate drops, don’t let it boil,
  Option I: you need a metalor glass bowl and a saucepan; put the chopped butter and chocolate into the bowl; bring the water in the saucepan to a boil and turn off the heat, place the bowl with the butter and chocolate on top of the saucepan so that the water doesn’t touch the bowl; mix it until the butter and chocolate melted; Option II: you need a saucepan with the thick bottom; put the chopped butter and chocolate into the saucepan, put it on the low heat, constantly stirring; the mixture shouldn’t boil.

Brownies:

If you use the mixer - mix the ingredients at the lowest speed, so that you’ll get the homogeneous mixture without any air bubbles.

• mix the sugar with flour, it’s better to do it with the mixer, especially if you use the moist brown sugar,

• add the eggs one by one, continuing to whip, if you use the mixer, do it at the lowest speed,
• pour the butter-chocolate mixture slowly, continuing to whip, you’ll get the thick tense batter without any air bubbles.

Baking and serving:

• put the batter into the baking pan and align it carefully,
• place the caramel on the top,

• “cut in” the caramel into the batter, it’s better to use a table knife for it, so you don't cut the paper through,

• place the baking pan into the preheated oven,
• bake the brownies for 35-40 minutes,
• when the brownies is done, take it out of the oven in 5-10 minutes take it out of the baking pan,
• after brownies are completely cooled down, cut it into squares or small rectangles,
• enjoy :)