I will never forgive Leslie for introducing me to the wonders of salted caramel. Come to think of it, my mom was telling me about salted caramel last week too. So I guess I can’t fully blame my pastor’s wife. However, the full responsibility for adding sweet and salty caramel sauce to rich decadent brownies is on Leslie’s shoulders. She is a genius for suggesting it. As soon as she mentioned the combination – I was intrigued. Normally I’m a “I’d like some more sweet with my sweet” kind of gal, but I looooooove caramel, and the idea of adding a kick of salt to it seemed totally natural. Pairing it with chocolate? Well, might as well just get me a chair because that kind of deliciousness requires me to sit down and catch my breath.

I spent a few days researching recipes. You’d be surprised how many are out there. Really, you could pair your favorite brownie recipe (even *gasp!* a boxed mix) and whatever caramel sauce you like, but I decided to go all out for this one. I borrowed from a couple different sites after reading about a dozen variations for caramel sauces and techniques. I wanted the brownie to be rich. Fudge-y. Dark. Not too sweet. And the caramel to be salty and sweet and running all over the brownies. Some of the recipes called for a layer of caramel over the already baked brownies. Some used the caramel on the side as a dipping sauce. I wanted caramel swirled through every bite, drizzling and dripping out of the corners. So that’s just what I did. Continue reading →