Rich + Decadent Salted Caramel Swirl Brownie Recipe

Gooey and chocolatey, filled with a homemade salted caramel swirl and finished off with a sprinkle of sea salt, these caramel sea salt brownies are over the top decadent and delicious. You can’t go wrong with this family favorite brownie recipe!

Growing up, there was a certain brand of boxed brownie mix that I really loved. I honestly can’t remember the brand, all I know is that it was a delicious combination of gooey, fudgy brownie that came with a little squeeze packet of caramel sauce that you mixed into the brownies before baking.

In other words, heaven.

These days, I don’t really want to pay $4 for a box of brownie mix that doesn’t have great ingredients. I’m not saying brownies are ever necessarily healthy, but I can make delicious fudgy brownies at home with ingredients that are much more wholesome and readily available in my pantry.

So…chocolate and caramel lovers rejoice! Another brownie recipe has entered the world, in the form of these super decadent and delicious salted caramel brownies.

You may be thinking, but Rachael, there are approximately one million brownie recipes out there. Do we really need another?

In short, yes. Yes you absolutely do.

Let’s make ’em!

Ingredients

To make the best brownies on planet earth, you’ll need a few simple ingredients:

• All purpose flour
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips
• White sugar
• Salt
• Espresso powder (optional but recommended)
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract

For the homemade caramel recipe, a few key ingredients are required:

• Heavy cream
• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Salt

How to Make Salted Caramel Brownies

1. Make homemade caramel: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the butter and brown sugar. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Slowly add in the heavy cream, stirring while you do so. Bring the mixture to a boil and let boil for one minute. Reduce the heat down to low, continuing to stir. You don’t want your caramel to burn! Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature while you make the brownies. The caramel will thicken as it cools.
2. Make the brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish or line with parchment paper, leaving a little extra around the edges so its easy to lift the brownies out of the pan when they are done baking. Set aside.
3. Begin by melting the butter. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter with 3/4 cup of chocolate chips, microwaving in 30-second intervals and stirring until the chocolate has melted and combined with the butter. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl), combine the melted butter and chocolate mixture with the dry ingredients, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. The batter will be very thick, and this is a good thing!
5. Spread the brownie mixture into the prepared 9 x 13 inch pan. Drizzle the cooled caramel sauce over the brownies, reserving 1/3 cup or so to drizzle over the top after baking. Using a butter knife, gently run the caramel through the entire pan of brownies to create a caramel swirl. Try not to drool while doing so.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until a butter knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs.
7. Allow the brownies to cool for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour (if you can wait that long!) before cutting into squares and then drizzling the extra salted caramel sauce over the top of the brownies.
8. Top the brownies with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt and dig in.
9. Store the brownies in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to a week.

Tips for Success

• I like making homemade caramel because it is ridiculously easy to make and the ingredients are much better for you. If you’ve never made it before, give it a try!
• The extra sprinkling of coarse salt on top is optional, but recommended! The extra hint of salt really complements all of the sticky sweetness nicely.
• It can be difficult to tell when brownies are done baking, especially with the addition of the salted caramel! Typically, I find brownies cook in about 30 minutes in my oven. For these brownies, they needed to bake for around 45 minutes. Once you hit the 35-40 minute mark and you start to smell warm chocolate brownies, check them using a butter knife or toothpick. If there is wet batter on the toothpick, they need more time. If there are a few moist crumbs on the toothpick, they are done!
• This recipe doesn’t require baking soda or baking powder because they will result in a cakier brownie. I love fudgy chocolate brownies, so I omitted both of these ingredients to ensure ultimate fudginess.
• You can use either salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. I pretty much exclusively use salted, but either will work just fine!
• For best results, I recommend cooling the brownies for 45 minutes to an hour before drizzling with extra caramel sauce.

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• Mixing bowls
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More Favorite Dessert Recipes

More yummy dessert recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth!

• Simple Strawberry Shortcakes
• Homemade Hand Pies with Berry Filling
• Chocolate Sweet Rolls
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pin it For Later!

You can find the printable recipe card for this easy salted caramel brownie recipe below.

Now for the real question, are you a middle of the pan or edge of the pan brownie person? I’ll take ’em anyway I can get them, but my husband is definitely all about the crisp edges.

Happy baking!

Rachael