Q: How do you make brownies even better? A: Stuff ’em with salted caramel. Guilty pleasure? Yep. Caramel Brownies are not for people with a conscience!
Caramel Brownies
Caramel + brownies in itself isn’t an original idea and if you do a Google search, you’ll find plenty of examples. And I would have used an existing recipe if I found what I was after, but every recipe I came across:
1. Used store-bought caramel;
2. The caramel was runny, more like a caramel sauce, usually drizzled on top of the brownie; or
3. Required a candy thermometer to get the caramel to the exact temperature so it would soft set, rather than ending up runny OR cooking it too far so it ends up like hard toffee.
All I wanted was a creamy layer of caramel inside, and no thanks to the candy thermometer.
Solution? Combine my favourite everyday brownie with the easy creamy caramel from our favourite Caramel Slice, and voila: Caramel Brownies!
What goes in Caramel Brownies
Here’s what you need for the brownie part – nothing ground-breaking here:
And here’s what you need for the creamy caramel. The key ingredient here is sweetened condensed milk, which is cooked on a low stove until it changes from white to pale golden ➔ ie. caramel!
Golden syrup is a little cheat ingredient to give the caramel a little boost of extra caramel flavour without the caramel cooking for so long it becomes super-thick, like a peanut butter consistency. We need the caramel to be a pourable consistency so we can pour it over the brownie batter.
Golden syrup is a gold-coloured syrup that’s common in Australian and British baking. If you don’t have it, no need to fret, hunt it down or even bother making it – just use maple syrup instead, which works a treat.
How to make Caramel Brownies
Firstly, make the caramel part because this takes 7 minutes on the stove whereas the batter takes mere minutes:
Melt butter in a saucepan with golden syrup or maple syrup and salt;
Add sweetened condensed milk and mix until well-combined;
Then cook, stirring very frequently, over low heat until it changes from white to a caramel colour. You can get away with only stirring occasionally for the first few minutes, but as you start to see steam, be sure to stir constantly – albeit leisurely – to ensure it doesn’t catch on the base.
If the caramel happens to catch on the base, you will end up with tiny little brown bits in the caramel. It might look like a big deal when it’s in the saucepan but don’t worry – once it’s baked up inside the brownie and you bite into it, you won’t even notice;
Take it off the stove, then keep stirring for another 30 seconds just to cool it down a touch otherwise the residual heat in the saucepan might still make the caramel catch on the base.
Cover, then keep warm while you make the batter. It needs to be pourable when you use it.
And here’s how the Caramel Brownie is assembled:
Firstly, make the Brownie batter. It’s very easy and all happens in one bowl. If you want visuals of the steps, pop over to my brownie recipe;
Set aside a heaped ½-cup of the batter for the topping. Then pour the remainder into a 20cm/8″ square pan. A lamington pan will also work well, the slice is just a bit thinner than pictured;
Pour the caramel over as evenly as you can. Note: If your caramel has cooled down to the point that it’s not pourable, just reheat it on a medium stove until it’s pourable again (this literally takes 1 minute). You can’t really spread the caramel because it sinks into the batter once poured. So where you pour is what you get!
Dollop the reserved ½-cup of brownie batter across the top;
Then swirl a butter knife across the surface a few times in large sweeping motions. This is not so much about creating swirl effects on the surface because they don’t really stay once baked, as you can see in Step 6. It’s more about sort-of spreading the brownie batter across the caramel; and
Bake – 30 minutes for very-messy-hands-gooey, as pictured, or 35 minutes for sensible gooey.
And this is what comes out of the oven:
Well, actually, this:
It’s sweet. It’s rich. It’s indulgent. This one is not for the faint-hearted or “I’m-not-really-a-sweets-person” types! It is for die-hard chocolate and caramel lovers – and everyone out there who just feels they deserve a treat.
Wait – that includes you, my friend. Do it! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Salted Caramel-Stuffed Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie
- 200g / 7oz unsalted butter
- 200g / 7oz dark chocolate / semi sweet chocolate chips (Note 1)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs , lightly whisked
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
- 1/2 cup flour , plain/all purpose
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
Salted Caramel
- 395g / 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tbsp golden syrup or maple syrup (Note 2)
- 60g / 2 oz unsalted butter
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
- Butter and line a 20cm / 8" square tin with parchment / baking paper.
Salted Caramel
- Place the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally for the first 1 minute. When it is heated (ie. when you see wisps of steam), whisk constantly (leisurely, not vigorously!) for 7 minutes, ensuring the base doesn't catch (Note 3). It should be a pale golden colour.
- Remove from stove and whisk for 30 seconds. Place lid on, set aside and keep warm.
Brownies:
- Melt chocolate & butter: Place chocolate and butter in a bowl. Microwave in three 30 second bursts on high, stirring in between bursts, until melted and smooth.
- Add sugar, eggs, vanilla: Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture and mix well to combine.
- Add dry ingredients: Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Mix until smooth and combined.
- Reserve some batter: Measure out 1/2 cup of brownie batter and set aside. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared tin.
- Pour over caramel: Pour the Salted Caramel over the brownie batter, getting as much coverage as you can (as you can't easily spread the caramel once poured). If caramel has cooled and is no longer pourable, reheat it on stove for 1 minute until runny again.
- Cover with reserved brownie batter: Dollop the reserved 1/2 cup of brownie batter randomly over the Salted Caramel. Use a knife or skewer to make “swirls” – they won't be so visible once baked, it's more about spreading brownie batter over the caramel.
- Bake: Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes (for very gooey brownie, as pictured) to 35 minutes (for very moist but not super-gooey).
- Cool: Leave to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Use surplus paper overhang to lift out onto a cooling rack. Cool for a further 20 minutes before slicing. Note: Caramel is a bit gooey when still warm but sets firmer once fully cooled, ie. it will cut through neatly.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published August 2015. Updated with brand new photos and video in January 2021 – about time!!
For Caramel Monsters
More slices and bars
Life of Dozer
As always, pushing the boundaries….
I’m a dessert addict. These brownies looks delicious. On the menu 🙂
I’m the opposite!!! I’m definitely a savoury gal 🙂 But these are special!!!
This did not work for me at all 🙁 i did every step correctly yet i had to bake it in longer and the caramel turned out terrible 🙁
Gosh, I’m sorry to hear that! What type of oven do you have??
Could i do half of the brownie caramel filled and half normal? (ill be using the betty brocker brownies)
Just found your blog and have spent the last hour pursuing your amazing recipes, downloading your free ebooks and now I know the first one I will cook – these brownies. Quick cocoa question – learned this after making Smitten Kitchen’s homemade Oroes, you learn something every day – do I use Dutch cocoa? Apparently there is a taste and baking difference between processed and unprocessed cocoa, so which one did you use?
Many thanks, Happy New Year from Canada and glad to have discovered your blog:-)
I’m so glad you found me too!! Thank you for your lovely message Beatrice!!! N xx
Hi Nagi,
I came back to rate this recipe – and its a 10 out of 5 for me! Hahaha
It was so yummy and so moist – even if I used a bigger tin (22x22cm) so the layers were thinner than I would have liked. But I had been eying this recipe since I first stumbled upon your site, didn’t really care if my tin was the “incorrect” size, I just couldn’t wait any longer!
Will be making this again! I’m actually restraining myself to not inhale it.
Mai
I’m so glad you loved this Mai!! Isn’t it incredible? That salted caramel layer!! Using the condensed milk makes all the difference, so much more practical than runny caramel!
I’ve now made these amazing brownies 3 times, they are so good! My family love them thanks for the recipe
Oh YAY!!! I’m so glad you love them Nikki, thank you!!! N x
Made these today, and they were fantastic. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe:)
YAY YAY! I’m SO glad you loved these Das!! N x
These look amazing! I think I will definitely be trying these soon
has anyone else had probs with this not cooking?
its already had an extra 10mins and its still gooey in the centre
Hi Deanne! Is your oven on the weak side? Brownies are pretty forgiving, so leave it in until the centre is cooked to your liking. Just remember when you stick the skewer in that the caramel will still be “wet” so don’t confuse the brownie with the caramel!
I have a batch in the oven right now and cannot wait to try! Very easy to pull together too. The family are hovering ’round the kitchen awaiting the arrival of these naughty morsels!
Last night we had your slow cooker shredded chicken with sticky sauce, yum yum yum !
We love your recipes x
Hi Vanessa! Thank you so much for your lovely message 🙂 The vision of you trying to concentrate on making the brownies with your family hustling around you made me smile. And I’m so glad you enjoyed the shredded chicken too! N x
Sorry if this has been asked before, but can I use a brownie mix to make this recipe quicker? BTW it looks delicious!!! Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks! 🙂
Hi Waj! You sure can, it’s a standard batch size of brownies!
The good people in my office enjoyed these this morning. And everyone gives them 2 thumbs office.
I did make the mistake of using a pan that was too big – so mine were a lot flatter than yours. The only real downside was that meant a thin layer of the delicious caramel. Next time smaller pan and thicker caramel for sure.
Thanks for another delicious one
The good people in your office should be thanking their lucky stars every day to be working with someone like you! You are so wonderful!!! 🙂
It pays to be persistent, they look amazing. I love that thick layer of salted caramel. 🙂
Thanks Jo! 🙂 Baking frustrates me. I’m just not a natural at it, like you! Takes me more goes to create from scratch 🙂
Wow these look amazing. I don’t think the caramel layer needs to be neat, it looks irresistible just how it is!
Thanks so much Kaylene!! Baking is not my forte, I can follow recipes but I don’t experiment myself often. So I find myself not being confident with my judgement of what looks “right”! N x
I made this recipe for special dinner with my husband’s family and everyone liked, no leftovers for me and my husband so we had our regular toast with jelly this morphing! It is a delicious recipe, thank you.
My, that IS a special dinner! How lucky your husband is!! 🙂 Thank you so much for coming back to let me know everyone loved it! N x
Love your recipes.
I did not realize that the measuring utensils were different in Australia than in the US….hummmm learn something new every day. I would still be in the dark if I had not read the comment by Claire and then your response. See the trouble you can get in when you assume (the you in this case is me)
I need clarifying on the chocolate you used. Here in the US baking chocolate comes in a large bar divided into one ounce, break apart, sections and it is unsweetened, are you calling for this unsweetened dark chocolate in this recipe? Recently (well it probably has been out for a few years) the company that makes the unsweetened chocolate has started to make the same type of bar in semi sweet. I think it is this chocolate you are referring to?
And, totally off subject, what do I do with the bottle of fish sauce I bought to make a recipe and then lost the recipe.
Hi June! I use semi sweet chocolate chips in this recipe 🙂 Do you only have unsweetened dark chocolate? Though having said that, this has plenty of sugar added to it plus the sweetness from the caramel so i think it would be sweet enough made with unsweetened chocolate!
I use fish sauce in most of the Asian recipes I share! If you look under Recipes > Cuisines > Asian and have a browse, you’ll find plenty! It’s like soy sauce – but a more complex flavour! 🙂
OK, you’re killing me here!
I’d gladly have volunteered for the spoon version, but this – wow. LOVE how the caramel hold its shape. Me likey the Australian caramel way, too! Going to have to use it…
Ha! As I would gladly volunteer to be YOUR taste tester whenever you’re experimenting! N x
Wow! These are so beautiful and look delicious – I can just imagine eating them with a cup of milk, maybe dipping a block into the milk before taking a bite! Or with ice cream! Or just the brownie themselves, these look amazing – all that trial and error and hard work troubleshooting this recipe paid off for sure!
Thank you Sarah! It’s much easier for me, not having to worry about dairy allergies. Your skills just blows my mind 🙂
So I told J Daddy that you have a brownie recipe, and he said “Oh, I think you owe it to Nagi and yourself to give it a try. You cook all her other recipes, so it’s only fair that you try this recipe as well. I will sacrifice myself to be your taste tester, under sufferance of course.”
Brownies are only his most favourite thing to eat in the world, besides raspberries. I must make this on the weekend.
Your tales of your conversations with J Daddy always have me giggling!! I feel the pressure now, keeping my fingers crossed that he likes them!! N x
Oh wow, these look SO good!! Love that thick layer of caramel and the brownies look so fudgy, I really wish I had one in front of me now!! 🙂
Aw, thanks so much Annie for you kind words! 🙂