Seriously good brownies....with caramello chocolate

There is something wonderfully tempting about a gooey, chocolately brownie. They are not the most attractive of baked goods, and are definitely not neat and pretty like a cupcake. But seriously.... to me at least, the gooier the brownie looks, the better. The brownies have a lovely shiny top due to heating of the sugar/butter mixture for a second time (and ultimately dissolving more of the sugar).

These are good just the way they are, but also easily adaptable. Add-ins are only limited by your imagination.

This recipe is adapted from Beantown Baker, but originally came from a US flour company.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups cocoa
Sprinkle of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
1 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces

1/2 cup milk chocolate pieces

1 cup caramel chocolate pieces

Method:

Preheat the oven to 176 degrees C. Grease and line a 22cm x 33 baking pan (approx).

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat and mix in the sugar until combined. Return the pan to the heat just until the mixture is hot, but you don't want it to bubble. Stir continuously - it should look lovely and glossy.

Pop the butter/sugar mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Add in the eggs, mixing until smooth.

Mix in the flour and chocolate, stirring until combined. Be careful not to over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for approx 25-30 minutes, until the brownie edges are set and firm but the centre is still a little gooey (not uncooked though!).

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.  Carefully remove from pan and allow to cool further. If you can resist, leave to cool completely for easier cutting.

Chocolate and caramel slice

This recipe is from Exclusively food, a great website with many tempting recipes that I wish to try. This recipe has been calling to me for a while - I love caramel. I cannot begin to describe how amazing the base smelt while baking... the irresistible combination of butter, brown sugar and coconut. 

While the recipe is a three step process, it is a really easy slice to make with great results. Everyone loves this slice.

Ingredients:

Base
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2/3 cup desiccated coconut
2/3 cup self-raising flour
85g butter, melted

Caramel centre
30g butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
 

Chocolate topping
150g milk or dark chocolate
1 tsp oil

Method:
Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (fan-forced). Grease and line a 20cm square cake pan. I like to create an overhang with the baking paper to ensure easy removal of the slice from the pan once baked.

Base
Add the brown sugar, coconut, and flour in a large bowl and stir lightly until well combined. Add in the melted butter and stir to combine before pressing the mixture into prepared pan - a back of a spoon or your fingertips are the easiest ways.

Pop in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden on outside and slightly puffed in the centre.

Set it aside to cool while you make the caramel.

Caramel filling
You can do the caramel a couple of ways, either in a saucepan or in the microwave.

Saucepan - Over medium heat add butter and golden syrup to a small heavy-based saucepan and stir occasionally. Add the condensed milk once the butter has melted and stir continuously for about 10-12 minutes. Mine was done it 10 - is is ready when the caramel has thickened.

Carefully spread this over the base and put it back in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Again, mine was done in 10. It is done when the caramel has darkened around the outside, forming a 1/2 cm frame.

Leave to cool.

Chocolate topping

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on medium for a minute. Check and stir. Microwave in 30 bursts on medium until melted. Be careful not to burn it. Stir in oil. The oil makes the chocolate easier to slice through once set.

Chocolate Brownie Roll-Out Cookies two ways

We are in the process of putting our home up for sale. It is a small, two bedroom unit (i.e. a "shoebox") and we have basically out-grown it. Because weekends are filled with open for inspections (and the house will have to look spotless at all times), I decided to impose a baking ban on myself. So I (sadly) pack up the majority of my baking stuff - cupcake and cake pans, the electric mixer, food processor, rolling pin - basically everything except a set of measuring cups and one mixing bowl. All of it is now stored in boxes at my parents house (including, it seems, half the contents of our house - thanks heaps Mum and Dad!) This baking ban lasted one week - I felt like I was going crazy! So I panicked - and decided that I had just enough equipment at home to make these cookies...if I used a wine bottle to roll them out.I was confident I would have all the ingredients, so I got to work. I realised I didn't have sugar, and I was about 2 tablespoons short of cocoa! Luckily the wonderful Mr X came to the rescue and picked them up from the supermarket on his way home.


The original recipe leaves them plain and un-iced but I decided to top half with chocolate ganache and the remaining half with caramel.

Cookie recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
Cookies
3 cups plain flour
pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Chocolate ganache
100g dark chocolate, chopped
100g milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup thickened cream


Cheats caramel
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs golden syrup
2 tbs brown sugar


Method:
Cookies
Preheat oven to 176 degrees C. Line baking trays with baking paper. 
Mix flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Pop the softened butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in a large bowl and beat to combine (or mix with a spoon, it works fine). Gradually add in the flour, and mix until just combined. The dough should be nice and smooth. Wrap in cling wrap and pop in the fridge for one hour, or roll out dough and cut into shapes and then pop in the fridge. I rolled out the dough immediately and cut into shapes, and this worked well. The dough was really easy to work with - I spread out some baking paper, sprinkled out a little cocoa and shaped the dough into a roll. I placed another piece of baking paper on top, then used a rolling pin wine bottle. I rolled the dough out to a thickness of about 7cm.

I chose three cookie cutters all roughly the same size (small, 3-4 cm wide). Cut out the cookies and transfer to the baking tray. They don't spread during baking so they can be placed relatively close together.

Bake 6 to 10 minutes (baking time will depend on thickness of cookies and size of your cookie cutters. Watch them closely during last stages of baking - you want the edges firm and the centres still a bit soft and puffy (this puffiness settles on cooling.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate ganache
To make the ganache, put cream in a microwave safe jug and put it in the microwave on medium for one minute. Stir, then return to microwave for another 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and add chocolate, stirring regularly until chocolate is melted and incorporated. Put aside to cool.


Cheats caramel filling
To make the cheats caramel, put sweetened condensed milk in the microwave on medium for four minutes on medium, stirring every few minutes. Return to microwave and reduce heat to medium/low for a further 6 to 8 minutes, stirring regularly. It will start to thicken and the colour will become deeper. Remove from microwave, add golden syrup and mix well. Add brown sugar and mix well. Return to microwave on med/low for a minute. Stir again and set aside to cool and thicken.


Assembling the cookies
Dip a cookie in the ganache, coating it evenly. Lightly tap off excess. Repeat with half the remaining cookies. Leave to dry.

Put some of the cheats caramel into a piping bag and pipe a dollop onto a cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.

Chocolate caramel cupcakes

Chocolate anything is always popular, and I love caramel!
Makes 24
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup rice bran oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 cup boiling water

Caramel (for filling and drizzling)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/8 cup milk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate icing
1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

12 tbs milk

Method:
Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 176 degrees C. Spray and line pans with 24 cupcake liners.

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and oil. Beat ingredients with a mixer for approx two minutes. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Add the boiling water, and beat until just blended. Don't over-mix.
Due to the boiling water, the batter is very runny. The easiest way to fill the cupcake pans is by pouring the batter into the pans using a jug. Pour evenly into prepared liners.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Mine took about 22 minutes. Leave in the pan to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool further.


Caramel sauce
Over medium heat, melt butter in a small sauce pan. Allow to simmer, then add in the brown sugar, stirring, and bring to boil. Then lower heat and stir until sugar is dissolved (should take about a minute). Stir in milk, bring to boil, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pop in the fridge to cool down and thicken while you make the chocolate icing.

Click here  for instructions on how to fill the cupcakes


Chocolate icing
Beat the butter in a mixing bowl for three minutes, add vanilla bean paste and beat. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add milk a tbs or two at a time and beat, until you reach your desired consistency.

Pipe icing onto cupcakes and drizzle with caramel sauce to finish.