Salted Caramel Brownies with English Toffee

Enjoying brownies and kickin’ back because sometimes you just don’t want to do anything!

July is almost over and I can hardly believe the summer is more than half way over. I have a list of “to-do’s” and things around the house that have been staring me in the face since early June and the list keeps growing. . Even though I love this digital world of ours and all these devices and apps we have. . I’m still old school sometimes. I still hand write to-do lists and I write in an organizer. Weird, I know but sometimes I prefer actually using a pen and writing on paper.

I’m sorry but I don’t need, nor do I want, Siri telling me or reminding me to do things. 🙂 I’ll take care of the things I need to do in my own time and they will get done. . eventually. Now, if they had a version of Siri with John Legend‘s voice, that might be a different story. . he’s my new crush. Love his voice.

Until then, I am going to sit back and down some of these brownies. These are seriously the best brownies I have ever had. I’ll probably have to run a few miles so that I don’t feel guilty eating 3 or 4 of these bad boys. . I’ll just add that “run” to my to-do list. 😛

So, as soon as I saw this recipe on Pinterest from I Can Cook That‘s Blog, I knew I had to have these. She got the recipe from My Recipes/Cooking Light. I kind of followed both and omitted the espresso powder (simply b/c I could not find this anywhere?!) and added English Toffee bits on top after I poured on the caramel. I have some tips for those of you who try this recipe so please read carefully. . again, these are seriously the BEST.

Brownie Lovers, holla back. Hoooo Hoooo!

Salted Caramel Brownies with English Toffee

Print Recipe

Salted Caramel Brownies with English Toffee

Course: Dessert

Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

• BROWNIES:
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons butter melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cooking spray for the brownie pan
• TOPPING:
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons evaporated fat-free milk divided (don't sweat it if you can't find fat-free evaporated milk)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 ounce bittersweet or dark chocolate coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup English toffee bits optional
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• To prepare brownies: weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through baking powder) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
• Combine 6 tablespoons of butter (melted), eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Add butter mixture to the flour mixture; stir to combine.
• Scrape the brownie batter into a 9-inch square glass or metal baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 19-21 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
• To prepare the caramel topping: melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons milk; cook 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Add vanilla and powdered sugar; stir with a whisk until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over cooled brownies.
• If adding the english toffee bits, sprinkle them on after the caramel so as the caramel sets, the toffee bits will stick.
• Let stand 20 minutes or until set.
• To prepare the chocolate for the topping: Combine 2 tablespoons of the evaporated fat-free milk and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH for 45 seconds or until melted, stirring after 20 seconds. Stir just until smooth.
• Pour the melted chocolate in a big ziplock bag and cut the corner tip off. This way, you can drizzle your chocolate easier. Cut off just a little of the tip so the hole isn't too big. If it's smaller, the line of chocolate that you drizzle on top of your brownies will be thinner and prettier. I cut my tip too big. oh well, next time I know what to do.
• Squeeze the chocolate over the caramel and english toffee bits. Decorate as you wish; go crazy!
• Sprinkle with sea salt; let stand until set. Cut into squares and enjoy!