Well well well. All I can say is I’m truly ashamed of myself and how long it has been since I last posted here. Apologies! In the rather extended time of my out-of-office status, I have gained a 1st class degree in Nutrition, become an Associate Nutritionist, and started working in a big office full of people more important than me. Which sounds somewhat exciting, but really not as exciting as it is to be back writing on my blog.
In my absence, I did, however, continue to bake, recipe develop, and photograph pictures of mouthwatering goodness. Which brings me to his recipe, Salted Caramel Pecan Brownies. One of my latest bakes in my repertoire that has quickly been replicated numerous times.
I think that will do for an intro, especially as you probably haven’t even made it this far. But, all I can say is PLEASE do make these brownies, they are simply stunning ❤
INGREDIENTS:
Brownie
- 135g plain flour
- 100g cocoa powder
- 250g caster sugar
- 200g soft muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs, free range
- 240g butter
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Caramel & Toppings:
- 200 g Unsalted Butter
- 3 tbsp Caster Sugar
- 4 tbsp Golden Syrup
- 397g tin of Condensed Milk
- ½ tsp flaked sea salt
- 250g pecans
- 200g milk chocolate (I use Cadbury’s Dairy Milk)
METHOD:
- Start by pre-heating your oven to 180°C (fan). Grease an 8×8″ pan with butter and line the base with a square of baking parchment.
- Pop your butter in a large bowl, and place in the microwave on high 30 second intervals until it melts.
- Let the butter cool slightly (2-3mins), and then add your sugars and oil to the bowl. Beat thoroughly for a few minutes until a homogeneous mixture is formed.
- Add the eggs into the bowl, and beat again until incorporated.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder into the bowl and fold GENTLY – it is key to only fold until everything is JUST incorporated – to keep the brownies nice and soft and fudgey.
- Chop ¾ of your pecans into small chunks, leaving a handful of whole pecan halves for decoration. Add the chopped pecans to the mix and fold gently 4 or 5 times until incorporated.
- Pour your fudgey goodness into the baking tin.
- Place into the middle of your oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the edges turn darker, and the centre is only slightly wobbly.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely until slicing – I left mine overnight wrapped in foil to make sure they are cold and have set completely.
- Now it’s time to make your caramel. Place your condensed milk, butter, sugar, golden syrup and salt into a large heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Turn onto a medium heat and stir the pan continuously until everything has melted together.
- Turn the heat up to high and bring the caramel to the boil, stir CONTINUOUSLY.
- Stir continuously for 6 or 7 minutes until it has turned beautiful and think, with a deep amber colour. It is really important to not stop stirring, because as soon as you do the caramel with catch and burn. It is also critical to have a large saucepan for this, as if your pan is too small it is likely to splash, and boiling caramel is extremely hot!! So please do take care 🙂
- Pour onto the cooled brownie base, and leave to set.
- Once your caramel has set, melt your milk chocolate and pour on top. Scatter over your pecans halves for decoration, and cut once firm.
- Enjoy ❤
sofiabakes.com 