Recipe from Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Adapted by Julia Moskin
- Total Time
- 1¼ hours
- Rating
- 4(892)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The salted caramel brownie is an ingenious combination of blond, bittersweet caramel and dark, bittersweet chocolate. Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of New York's Baked bakeries are not the first to note the affinity of caramel and chocolate, but by emphasizing the bitter, sweet and salty notes in both, they’ve made that rare thing — a perfectly balanced bite. The bittersweetness of the caramel can be easily adjusted by cooking it less (for a milder, Kraft-like taste) or more (edgier, stronger). —Julia Moskin
Featured in: Brownies With Caramel: Sweet and Salty in a Committed Relationship
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Ingredients
Yield:About 2 dozen brownies
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons/30 milliliters light corn syrup
- ½cup/120 milliliters heavy cream
- ¾teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼cup/115 grams sour cream
- 2sticks/225 grams unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, more for greasing pan
- 1¼cups/150 grams all-purpose flour
- 1teaspoon salt
- 2tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 11ounces/300 grams dark chocolate (60 to 72 percent cacao), coarsely chopped
- 1½cups/300 grams granulated sugar
- ½cup/105 grams firmly packed light brown sugar
- 5eggs, at room temperature
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- Coarse sugar (such as raw or turbinado) and flaky salt, for sprinkling
For the Caramel
For the Brownies
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
315 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 31 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 177 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the caramel: In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup with ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat, stirring gently, until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees or until the mixture is dark amber in color, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, slowly pour in heavy cream and salt (it will foam up) and whisk. Whisk in sour cream (it may look lumpy at first) and set aside to cool. Taste and add salt if needed to give the caramel a good balance of salty and sweet.
Step
2
Make the brownies: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use butter (or baking spray) to lightly grease a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper, and butter or spray the parchment.
Step
3
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt and cocoa powder.
Step
4
Melt chocolate and butter together, either in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, or in a microwave at low heat, working in 30-second bursts. Stir until chocolate and butter are melted and combined. Whisk in sugars. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Step
5
Using a sturdy whisk, add eggs one by one, whisking just until combined. Stir in vanilla.
Step
6
Gently pour chocolate mixture over flour mixture. Using a spatula, fold together just until few streaks of flour are visible; do not overmix.
Step
7
Pour batter into the pan and let settle. Drizzle caramel sauce over batter until batter is almost covered. (You may not use all the caramel.) On the surface, use the tip of a butter knife or icing spatula to swirl the batter and caramel together. Don’t worry if it looks messy.
Step
8
Bake 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. At the 30-minute mark, shake the pan gently to test for doneness. When done, the brownies will be barely set in the center and puffed, but not dry, around the edges. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with coarse sugar and salt.
Step
9
Let cool to room temperature before cutting. After cutting, if desired, drizzle any remaining caramel over the top. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Ratings
4
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892
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Cooking Notes
A
Why is sour cream added to the caramel?
LMK
How do you cut a 13x9 pan of brownies into 22 pieces? That's what the nutrition information is based upon. Wouldn't it make more sense to figure out how most people would ACTUALLY cut up a 13x9 pan of baked goods and then base the calorie count upon that? The only way I can figure 22 evenly sized pieces is 1 vertical cut and then cutting horizontally into 11 very thin strips. 20 or 24 pieces would make more sense (3 vertical cuts and 4 or 5 horizontal ones).
Donna
I have two questions about the dark chocolate. Is it unsweetened or sweetened? And can you give a cup-measurement for it instead of ounces? Thanks.
Diana
Can the caramel be made ahead of time?
If so, how long?
If made ahead and refrigerated, does it need to be reheated before adding to brownies?
I would appreciate ALL NYT recipes to include this kind of information, especially if there is a component that is novel or daunting to some. Many readers are juggling multiple responsibilities, and breaking home cooking into separate "chunks" allows for more complexity with less stress.
Dana
Does "dark chocolate" mean bittersweet or semisweet chocolate? This is what I see in my supermarket with the right cacao content. Or do I look for an "eating" chocolate outside the baking section?
Gail
For 1st time caramel makers, I'd add a note of caution about stirring. Stirring can cause sugar crystals to collect on the sides of the pan, so have a pastry brush and cold water nearby to wash down the crystals. Or just put a lid on the pan for a bit & let the condensation wash down the sides of the pan for the smoothest caramel sauce.
Dave
Let me help. The total calories for the pan is 315 x 22 = 6930 calories. For 20 servings (5.85 sq. in) = 6930/20 = 346 calories. For 24 servings (4.875 sq. in.) = 289 calories.
Hande
I live in Italy and have no access to corn syrup. How can i substitute?
Julia Moskin
I am so sorry this didn't work for you! I think this is the problem:
When swirling the caramel top with the brownie batter, you want to make deep enough grooves in the batter to give the caramel a chance to sink through and down. What you are trying to do is marble the caramel through the batter, not pour a lake of caramel on top.
Mary Beth Hasselquist
Use a large saucepan and moderate heat so the caramel cooks slowly.
No need to track the temperature with a candy thermometer. As long as you can tell the difference between iced tea and iced coffee, you are capable of spotting when the caramel is cooked enough (at any point between the two).
For a smoother, less bittersweet caramel, let the mixture cook only until it is golden brown, not amber.
Adding a dairy product quickly stops the cooking and makes the mixture thick and creamy.
Julia Moskin
You can use the same amount of sugar. Corn syrup just makes it easier to cook the caramel without risk of crystallization.
Lisa
I just wanted to comment that the editing and music on this is just delightful. I enjoyed this production, thank you Jason and Devon.
Julia Moskin
For thickening and the slight tanginess it adds. But if you don't have any, just use extra heavy cream.
Janice
These are unreal. I've made them three times: have also used golden syrup instead of light corn syrup (perhaps would work for those in the UK?). For a readily available chocolate, Baker's semi-sweet worked well (with the semi-sweet chocolate I used a cup of sugar instead of 1.5 cups...). Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Robert
As the accompanying article states,
"[a]dding a dairy product quickly stops the cooking and makes the mixture thick and creamy."
Anna Carl
Did not get done after 50 minutes. Like eating raw batter, which some people do like, but this was extreme.
Amy
This happened to me too. I wondered if it was that I didn't let the chocolate cool enough. But I also think it's a blessing in disguise as this recipe is extremely unhealthy!
Jo T.
I have made this recipe numerous times and every time, they are delicious. There is always a battle as to who gets to take home leftovers. My favorite is to freeze some of the leftover brownies and eat them when they are super cold. The brownies have the consistency of fudge, and the salt balances the sweetness nicely. I love this recipe. It is my go to dessert.
Michaelmas
These are the best but a LOT of work.I used 85% cacao (easily found at Sprout's) and the second time I made it I cut the white sugar down to 1 cup. Excellent both ways.When I watch the video I see it pixelated and completely illegible at points. I wrote to the Times about this and got a quick response: the video is fine. Is it? I see it this way on multiple browsers and on my phone.
Pudovkin
No, the video isn't fine. A lot of the cooking videos have that problem, unfortunately.
Claudia 01/2022
350° C = 176,5° F
dezzy567
Could someone help me with this brownie recipe? I’ve made it several times following the instructions and my brownies come out raw every time. What am I doing wrong??? TIA
Claire
I always make the mistake of cooking too long when it comes to cake and brownies - take out of the oven when it’s still looking a bit gooey! It will harden up as it cools. I had them in the oven for around 43 minutes, this was too long. I’ll try 35 minutes next time.
Yvette
This did not work for me at all. The caramel had a strange aftertaste (from the sour cream?). One of the few NYTimes recipes I would not recommend.
Margaret
3 tries to make the caramel. Did anyone mention that the temperature for the caramel must be wrong - 350? Did not know that sugar continues to cook after taken off the heat. Six minutes on high - "dark amber" burned black and nearly ruined the pan. Second batch - took off when light amber, still burned. Third batch ignored instructions completely and just watched it. Took it off when barely colored and almost too dark. Caramel soaked into brownies. Don't know how there could be extra caramel.
Cecilia Sada
In my house, we have some problems digesting milk, so I used homemade cashew cream. It was delicious.
G Boltman
Super buttery- any tips to fix this?
Maddie
I would like to make these and overnight them in the mail. The recipe says "refrigerate until ready to serve" curious if I could get away with it.
Jo T.
I've made these many times and I would not think they will overnight well, unless you put keep cold packs in the package. It needs refrigeration.
bad gyal 69
For me, the caramel tasted better and I might've done something wrong who knows, I used a different recipe anyways. I would also recommend baking it for about 50 minutes because it's super super gooey in the middle. It was really sweet but in a good way. I don't know if I would make it again though.
Sue
These were way too sweet for me - and I love sweet. Wouldn’t make again.
Pia
I halved the recipe (and made it—gasp—in a round tin; 3 eggs, 26 minutes baking time, metric measurements) and the brownies lasted no longer than three days around two adults. A marvel. Decadent, satisfying, toothy, rich. Why would you settle for a regular brownie after this?
Leigh
These were delicious. After 30 minutes they had the texture of a lava cake. They would have been good like that, but I put them in for another 10 minutes. I thought it would make too many, but they barely lasted 3 days.
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