Double Chocolate Caramel Brownies

My best friend's family in Seattle has a cookie swap every year that even I used to look forward to because I knew that for the weeks leading up to Christmas, their freezer would be chock-full of all the cookies I could dream of - cranberry bliss bars, gingerbread men, shortbread, peanut butter buckeyes, etc. – all the hits, all the classics. 

I have attended a couple of cookie swaps myself this year, and I am so happy that the tradition of gathering to share treats is still alive and well, even in New York City. It is such a fun and low-key way to gather around the holidays, and everyone gets to go home with an exciting variety of goodies they may not have made otherwise. Now I have my own freezer full of cookies, which I have learned is both a blessing and a curse. Blessing - if you come over to my place for the next couple of weeks, you are sure to be served some excellent cookies. Curse - cookies for every meal = very tight pants...I have one more swap on my calendar this season, and I am going to switch up my usual offering for these decadent brownies. I’ll package up the caramel sauce in cute little jars so people can drizzle at their own leisure.

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This post was created in partnership with Reynolds Kitchens. For more holiday fun and recipes, check out their Endless Table here. 

 

Double Chocolate Caramel Brownies

Makes 16-24 brownies

These brownies are of the rich and fudge variety, dense and super chocolaty. Since it is the holidays, I added something a little extra in the form of espresso spiked caramel sauce. Add a scoop of ice cream to one of these and you have a ridiculously good treat, or combine all three for a seriously killer brownie sundae. Bonus points if you warm up the brownies before topping them with cold ice cream and warm caramel sauce. They keep in the freezer (un-sauced) well wrapped in plastic wrap or foil for about a month, coincidentally, they also taste great frozen.

Brownies

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup chopped semisweet chocolate (not chips)

Espresso Caramel

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking pan with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil, making sure there is a bit of overhang on all sides. Lightly butter the foil.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt in a large bowl set over a double boiler. Stir the mixture occasionally until the butter is completely melted and the mixture is warm to the touch.

Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs, one at time, then add in the vanilla. Fold in the flour until just combined, then fold in the chopped chocolate.

Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached 25-30 minutes. Cool the brownies in the pan, then use the foil as handles to lift the brownies out of the pan.

Make the caramel sauce: Combine the sugar with 2 tablespoons of water, along with the butter, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar melts and turns deep amber in color. Remove the pan from the heat then whisk in the cream, instant espresso, and vanilla extract. Let the sauce cool to room temperature then drizzle over the brownies just before serving. 

Edible Holiday Gift guide 2015

Hi guys! I wasn't planning on posting my holiday treats this year, but lots of you fine people asked for the recipe for the pistachio shortbread with cardamom and cacao nibs that I posted on Instagram (the second photo above) so here I am! I got pretty serious with my edible gifts this year because I had to make up for a so-so 2014. Links and recipes are below! 

Pistachio Shortbread with Cardamom and Cacao Nibs (recipe below)

My favorite Gingerbread with Royal Icing (recipe below)

Tartine's Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies

Alice Medrich's Buckwhat Cookies with Cacao Nibs

Soft Salted Caramels (shown with Shop ILA's Black Lava Salt)

Violet Bakery's Rye and Chocolate Brownies (inspired by Tartine's Cookies!)

Rosemary Spiced Nuts

Follow me on instagram for more holiday baking fun @yossyarefi and check out Melissa's post for even more edible gift ideas!

 

Pistachio Shortbread with Cardamom and Cacao Nibs

makes about 30 cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup cacao nibs

Combine the flour, pistachios, sugar, cardamom, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the pistachios are finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks damp and crumbly. Drizzle in the vanilla extract, then add the cacao nibs. Pulse a few more times until the dough begins to just hold together.

Remove the dough from the food processor and knead a few times until the dough is evenly mixed and holds together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4-inch thickness and cut into shapes as desired. Place the cut cookies onto the prepared sheets 1-inch apart. Reroll the dough scraps until all of the dough is used. Chill the cut cookies for 10 minutes before baking. If at anytime the dough gets warm and is difficult to work with, transfer it to the fridge for a few minutes.

Bake the cookies until light golden around the edges, 12-14 minutes. Let cookies cool on the pans for a few minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

 

Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

makes about 3 dozen cookies, depending on size

3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg

1/4  teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1/4  teaspoon ground cloves

1⁄4  teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and spices together.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, then the molasses and mix until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling.

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Working with 1/2 of the dough at a time roll the dough 1/8-1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin roll. Use a cookie cutter or stencil to cut out desired shapes then place them on the prepared baking sheets. For cookie ornaments, use a skewer to poke a hole through the top of the cookies before baking. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies have just barely begun to brown. For cookie ornaments bake the cookies until they are lightly browned all over and firm to the touch. Cool the cookies on the sheet pans for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Royal Icing

1 egg white

1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 3⁄4 cup confectioners sugar

Combine all of the ingredients and beat with a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer) until stiff peaks form. If the icing seems too thick, add a few drops of water or lemon juice. If it seems runny, add a few table- spoons of confectioner’s sugar.

Use a pastry bag fitted with a #2 or #3 round tip and the stiff icing to add lines, shapes and dots to your cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar, sprinkles or nonpareils if desired, just make sure to do it while the icing is still wet.

To make the cookies into ornaments, thread a string through the hole and tie it to make a loop.