Description
Fudgy, chewy gluten-free brownies with caramel sauce and salty pretzels. They’re a texture & flavor wonder!
Ingredients
Scale
For The Caramel Sauce:
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
- 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For The Brownies:
- 1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons, 4 oz.) butter
- 2/3 cup (6 oz., 170 grams) dark chocolate chips (can use semisweet chocolate chips, if preferred)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (80 grams) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour (weighed or scooped & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder (NOT Dutch-processed)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup gluten-free pretzels (we like Snyder’s gluten-free)
Instructions
- First, Make The Caramel Sauce. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan. Stir until just combined, then wipe down any stray sugar granules on the side of the pan. WITHOUT STIRRING, bring the sugar mixture to a boil and boil 8-10 minutes, or until the sugar mixture reaches a dark amber color. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the butter, then the cream, vanilla, and salt. Stir until smooth, then cool. (The caramel sauce will thicken as it cools, and will look more opaque when cool as well.) Caramel can be made 3-4 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- Preheat The Oven & Prep The Pan. When you’re ready to make the brownies, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ metal pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt Chocolate & Butter. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and 2/3 cup chocolate chips. Gently melt in 20-30 second increments, until the chocolate mixture is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool while you prepare the other ingredients. (You don’t want the chocolate to be too hot when you add it to the eggs.)
- Combine Sugars & Eggs. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk for at least 2-3 minutes (or whip with a hand mixer) until the mixture has lightened in color and the sugar has dissolved. (Dissolving the sugar helps give the brownies a glossy top.)
- Add Chocolate Mixture To Egg Mixture. Gradually mix the melted chocolate into the egg and sugar mixture until it’s smooth.
- Add Dry Ingredients. Then, add gluten-free flour blend, cocoa powder, and salt to the wet ingredients. Gently stir until just a little powder remains.
- Fold In Chocolate Chips. Pour in the second 2/3 cup chocolate chips and fold in just until the brownie batter is fully combined and the chocolate chips are evenly distributed in the batter.
- Layer The Brownie Batter And Caramel. Add half of the brownie batter to your prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Dollop about 1/3 of the caramel sauce in small blobs across the surface of the brownie batter. Use the tip of a butter knife or a toothpick to gently swirl the caramel (less is more here!). Repeat by adding the second half of the brownie batter. Top with another 1/3 of the caramel sauce in dollops and swirl in.
- Top With Pretzels. Add the gluten-free pretzels to the top of the caramel swirled brownies.
- Bake & Cool The Brownies. Then, bake the brownies 30-33 minutes, or until almost set. (The brownies will continue to set as they cool.) Note that as the brownies cool, the caramel swirls will become more obvious. Cool the brownies completely on a wire rack before slicing into 9 large squares, 12 medium rectangles or 16 small squares. (A large serrated knife works best)
- Serve With More Caramel Sauce. Drizzle or dollop the additional caramel sauce on the brownies to serve, as desired.
Notes
Tricks For Swirling The Caramel In:
- First, cooled caramel will swirl better than hot or warm caramel, so really let the caramel cool before starting.
- I love using a small cookie scoop to add little dollops of caramel across the surface of the brownies.
- Fewer, larger blobs work better than more small dollops, as it helps create little pockets of caramel.
- Then, just use a thin knife or a toothpick to make a few little figure 8 shapes.
- Try NOT to over-swirl here, as we want larger pockets and swirls of caramel. Swirling too much will make the caramel sort of melt into the surface rather than creating swirls and pockets. Less is more here!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
