caramel pecan brownies
with a chocolate lover husband, i have a few brownie recipes up my sleeve. these caramel tidbits were on sale and the first thing i thought about was caramel brownies. for texture, i threw in a few pecans. my husband loved this recipe. you can play around with this recipe in so many ways! don't like caramel? use white chocolate! no nuts? add fried fruit. whatever you like.
ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter -
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips -
- 3/4 cup sugar -
- 1/2 cup brown sugar -
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract -
- 3 eggs -
- 1 cup flour -
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder -
- 1/4 teaspoon salt -
- 1/2 cup caramel tidbits - or soft caramel candies
- 1 teaspoon half and half -
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans -
instructions:
directions
- preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a 9x9 inch baking pan with foil so the edges hang over the side. grease or spray lightly with cooking spray.
- microwave the butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl for about 40 seconds, until just melted. remove from microwave and stir until melted. allow to cool for about 5 minutes. stir in sugars, vanilla and eggs on at a time. dust in the cocoa powder and flour, mixing until just combined. fold in half of the pecans.
- spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading into an even layer.
- melt the caramel bits and half and half in the microwave for 20 second intervals until melted. dollop small amounts of the caramel on top of the brownie batter. using a knife, swirl the caramel into the batter. top with remaining pecans.
- bake until set, about 20 - 30 minutes. remove from oven and let cool before cutting.
