Description
These fudgy caramel brownies are rich, gooey, and absolutely irresistible! Dense chocolate brownies swirled with ribbons of creamy caramel and topped with flaky sea salt create the ultimate indulgent dessert. Made with both cocoa powder and melted chocolate for intense chocolate flavor, these easy caramel swirl brownies come together in one bowl and deliver bakery-quality results every time. Perfect for parties, potlucks, or satisfying serious chocolate cravings!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Brownie Batter:
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or ¾ cup chocolate chips)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
For the Caramel Swirl:
- ¾ cup thick caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two opposite sides for easy removal. Lightly spray with cooking spray or butter. This preparation is crucial for easy removal later.
- Melt chocolate and butter: In a medium saucepan over low heat (or in the microwave in 30-second bursts), melt the butter and chopped chocolate together, stirring frequently until smooth and completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. This slight cooling prevents scrambling the eggs later.
- Add sugars: Whisk both granulated sugar and brown sugar into the slightly cooled chocolate-butter mixture until well combined and smooth. The mixture should be glossy and thick.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition until fully incorporated. The batter should become smooth and glossy. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Don’t overmix at this stage—whisk just until combined.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder until no lumps remain. This ensures even distribution of leavening and prevents pockets of flour or cocoa in your brownies.
- Fold in dry ingredients: Pour the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold gently until just combined with no visible flour streaks. Don’t overmix—a few small lumps are fine. Overmixing develops gluten and creates cakey brownies instead of fudgy ones.
- Spread batter in pan: Pour the brownie batter into your prepared pan and spread evenly with the spatula. Use the back of the spatula to smooth the top and push batter into corners.
- Add caramel: Warm the caramel sauce slightly if it’s very thick (10-15 seconds in microwave). Drop spoonfuls of caramel sauce over the brownie batter—about 10-12 dollops distributed across the surface. Don’t worry about perfection here.
- Create swirls: Using a butter knife, toothpick, or skewer, swirl the caramel through the brownie batter in a figure-eight or zigzag motion. Don’t over-swirl or the caramel will completely blend into the batter—you want visible ribbons and pockets of caramel. 8-10 swirls is perfect.
- Add sea salt: Sprinkle flaky sea salt evenly over the top of the brownies before baking. This is what creates that addictive sweet-salty combination.
- Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes. The brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center (avoiding caramel pockets) comes out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. The edges should look set and the top should have a shiny, slightly crackled appearance. Don’t overbake—slightly underdone is better than overdone for fudgy brownies.
- Cool completely: Let brownies cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2-3 hours or until completely cool. This is crucial! Cutting warm brownies creates a messy disaster. For the cleanest cuts, refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing.
- Cut and serve: Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the entire brownie slab out of the pan. Place on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife (wipe clean between cuts), slice into 16 squares. Serve and watch them disappear!
Notes
- Don’t overbake: Brownies continue cooking from residual heat as they cool. Remove from oven when center still looks slightly underdone for perfect fudgy texture.
- Room temperature eggs: They incorporate more smoothly into the batter than cold eggs.
- Caramel thickness matters: Use thick caramel sauce, not thin ice cream topping which will sink and disappear.
- Cooling is crucial: Brownies must cool completely before cutting or they’ll be a gooey mess.
- Clean cuts: Wipe your knife between each cut for the prettiest slices.
- Storage improves them: These brownies actually taste better the next day after flavors meld.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 brownie (1/16 of recipe)
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 31g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 60mg