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. 

Roasted Pineapple Ice Cream with Mascarpone and Black Pepper

I don't know about you, but when I think of combining of dairy and pineapple the "diet plate" at my local diner comes to mind. Well, if I am being completely honest, I think of the aforementioned diet plate in the 1980's. I like to imagine women dressed in spandex and legwarmers gathering after their morning jazzercise classes to share a low-cal meal comprised of a little cup of cottage cheese with canned pineapple on top, an egg white or two and a slice of tomato, maybe a slice of dry wheat toast if they're lucky, but I digress, I'm sure you didn't click on this post in hopes of reading about ladies in leotards. Let's talk about ice cream made from sweet caramelized pineapple and rich mascarpone cheese instead, sound good?

The base of this frozen treat is a cinch to put together, there is no cooking of custard, no waiting for it to chill before churning (no churning at all!), and when it comes time to add the black pepper you might be tempted to skip it but please give it a try. The small amount creates a gentle warmth which cuts through the richness of the caramelized pineapple and the ice cream base. If you want to torture your neighbors, leave your doors and windows open while you roast the pineapple because the scent is absolutely intoxicating.

Did I mention that you don't even need an ice cream machine to throw this together? The texture is unbelievably smooth and if your freezer is crappy like mine it will stay perfectly soft and scoopable even if it's been in there for a few days (good luck keeping it around that long). Maybe make it for your pops, I hear dads like bourbon.

Have a great weekend!

Roasted Pineapple Ice Cream with Mascarpone and Black Pepper

Roasted Pineapple Puree 

adapted from The Last Course by Claudia Fleming

This pineapple tastes great on it's own or on top of  store bought ice cream if you don't want to make your own.

1 cup sugar

1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into eight rings

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped

pinch salt

1 tablespoon bourbon

1 ounce butter

Preheat oven to 375º

1. In a large skillet, combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cook the sugar and water, swirling the pan occasionally until the mixture if a deep amber caramel 5-7 minutes.

2. Add the vanilla bean seeds and salt and stir gently to distribute them then add the pineapple slices and vanilla bean pod. Slide the pan into the oven and cook until the pineapple is tender and translucent, basting every 10 minutes.

3. When the pineapple is cooked, remove the slices from the liquid and set aside. Put the skillet full of juices over medium heat, add the bourbon and simmer gently until the mixture has reduced by half, then whisk in the butter off of the heat. Reserve the liquid for serving.

4. When the pineapple slices are cool enough to handle, take 5 of them and pulse in a blender or food processor until they are chopped into very small pieces, but not completely liquid. Cut the remaining 3 slices into chunks and reserve to serve with the finished ice cream.

Black Pepper Ice Cream Base (no churning required!)

adapted from Everyday Food

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

4 ounces mascarpone cheese

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, mascarpone, salt and pepper.

2. In a separate large bowl whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture.

To Assemble

You'll need a wide, shallow glass or metal pan, roughly 9x9 inches

Black Pepper Ice Cream Base

Roasted Pineapple Puree

freshly cracked black pepper

Pour 1/3 of the black pepper ice cream base into the baking dish and smooth to even it. Dollop heaping tablespoons of the roasted pineapple mixture on the surface, about 1'' apart. Top with 1/2 of the remaining ice cream base, dollop with roasted pineapple, then finally top with the remaining ice cream base. If you have a bit of extra pineapple puree, just eat it! It's delicious on it's own. Smooth the top to cover most of the pineapple, then using a knife or toothpick, gently swirl the pineapple and base together. Be careful not to mix too much, you just want to create pockets of pineapple in each scoop. Crack a bit of fresh black pepper over the surface and freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Serve with the reserved pineapple slices and gently warmed pineapple caramel.