As the days until Christmas dwindle down, I am slowly slipping into holiday mode. Well, kind of…in my head I’m slowly slipping into holiday mode. But in reality I’m still working to cross off all the last-minute items on my to-do list. So crazy to think the end of the year is almost here. I’m very much looking forward to 2019 (and very excited for “healthy January 2019”). But I’m even more excited for Christmas, and all the indulgences that come with it, like these salted caramel brownies. And of course family, friends, more good food, plenty of snow, chill time, and hopefully so much more! But right now it’s all about these brownies. If there was ever any food close to being perfect, it’s these brownies. Every square inch of them is delicious. The edges are crisp, the center is ooey gooey, they’re perfectly sweet. They have the best chocolate flavor, with hints of coffee and hazelnut, and no one can pass them up! I’m calling them the Christmas Brownie. All month long I’ve really want to make a delicious caramel dessert, but I just never came up with a solid idea. I thought about pies and contemplated cookies. But sometime before heading to New York last week, I made a caramel brownie for my cookie box and fell in the love with the end result. They where everything you could want out of a brownie. The perfect crispy edges, a soft gooey caramel and milk chocolate filled center, and a light touch of salty flavor. I mean, so perfect, right? Here are the details. To start, make the caramel. Now I know a lot of people are scared of homemade caramel, but honestly it’s not that tricky. And this particular caramel doesn’t need any special equipment. It’s truly pretty easy to make. You just need four simple ingredients, sugar, butter, heavy cream, and vanilla. Melt the sugar, add the butter and cream, bring the sauce to a boil, then remove from the heat, add the vanilla and done. Nothing too hard, right? I like to pop the caramel into the freezer to quickly firm it up and then cut into squares. This just makes arranging the caramel into the brownie batter a much easier and cleaner process. While the caramels firm up in the freezer, make the brownies. I used my favorite base brownie batter, but added milk chocolate and a touch of hazelnut liquor. Yes, these brownies are extra decadent. But it’s December, and everything this month should be over the top…healthy food to follow in January! The hazelnut liquor, while totally optional, really adds that extra special touch that every holiday dessert should have. And I love the flavor paired with the sweet caramel. Once the brownies are baked and out of the oven, it’s important to let them cool a bit so they can stiffen up. These are very gooey brownies, but especially when warm, thanks to the runny (delicious) caramel. Once cool, you can cut and serve them or wrap them up much easier. That said, these brownies are DELICIOUS warm out of the oven. I would even go out there and say that these would be awesome with just a spoon. Ooh, or maybe in a bowl with a scoop of ice cream? Wow, oh wow, yes, that would be good. Either way you serve these up they’re going to be great. A little tip? If you need to impress anyone over the next couple weeks (like say your boyfriend’s family), make them these brownies. They will be hooked, on both you and these delicious treats! This could be both a good thing or bad thing, depending on how often you like to make brownies. Either way, be sure to make these brownies for all to enjoy this season. If you make these brownies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
