It’s Ina Friday where a group of Ina Garten enthusiasts each select, prepare, and photograph a recipe. The theme this month is desserts so there was a lot to choose from.
For me it came down to what I had on hand because I trip to the store wasn’t in the plan today. I am always jealous when Ina prepares her massive brownies and sends them off with friends and family. While looking for that recipe, I came across another recipe for Ina’s Salted Carmel Brownies. I knew I had a jar of gourmet caramel sauce in the fridge and all the other ingredients in the pantry. I gathered my ingredients and started baking!
I got to the point in the recipe where one is supposed to put the jar of caramel in the microwave to soften it. When I opened the jar, I discovered a bit of sauce in the bottom and nothing else. It was as if someone had crept down the stairs in the middle of the night and eaten the caramel sauce straight out of the jar. Imagine that.
Since my caramel had been eaten by night roaming zombies I had to hurriedly make caramel sauce. Luckily I had some caramel for melting and I was able to put a nice sauce together before the brownies cooled.
I read all the reviews of this recipe and took to heart the caution to let them chill completely in the fridge before even thinking about cutting them. So for now I’ll just post a picture of the brownies in the pan and be back later after I cut them. I am looking forward to that!
Here is Ina’s recipe:
Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
8 ounces plus 6 ounces Hershey’s semisweet chocolate chips
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 extra-large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee granules, such as Nescafe
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 to 6 ounces good caramel sauce, such as Fran’s
2 to 3 teaspoons flaked sea salt, such as Maldon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x 12 x 1 1/2-inch baking pan.
Melt the butter, 8 ounces of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate together in a medium bowl set over simmering water. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature (see note below).
In a medium bowl, sift together 1/2 cup of the flour, the baking powder, and salt and add to the chocolate mixture. Toss the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t overbake!
As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, place the jar of caramel sauce without the lid in a microwave and heat just until it’s pourable. Stir until smooth. Drizzle the caramel evenly over the hot brownies and sprinkle with the sea salt. Cool completely and cut into 12 bars.
………………………………….
O.K., I am back. I waited for the brownies to cool before cutting them, hoping that at least one or two would fall apart so I could eat the pieces. But nooooooooo, they all stayed together. I loved them. Michael just came home and tried one, responding, “Oh my.” That’s a good thing!
Please visit all the other Ina Friday bloggers and see what recipe they picked this month.
- Alyce @ More Time at the Table
- Anna @ Cheese with Noodles
- Barbara @ Moveable Feasts
- Bhavna @ Just a Girl From AAmchi Mumbai..
- Chaya @ Bizzy Bakes
- Linda, @ Tumbleweed Contessa
- Minnie @ The Lady 8 Home
- Mireya @ My Healthy Eating Habits
- Patti @ Comfy Cuisine
- Peggy@ Pantry Revisited
- Rocky Mountain Woman @ Rocky Mountain Woman
- Veronica@ My Catholic Kitchen
Jen @ Yummy Healthy Easy says
Um, I just drooled on my computer! Seriously – these brownies are stunning! Thanks so much for sharing on Saturday Night Fever – PINNED!!
Peggy says
I am late commenting. You KNOW I love brownies. These look extra special good. I find it interesting that Ina puts coffee granules in most of her chocolate desserts. And I would love to have my own eggs. I’m jealous!!
Ansh | Spiceroots says
Oh Yummm! Look at those SEXY brownies!! I want some right now!!
Cheese with Noodles says
Ah, they look incredible! Why do chocolate and caramel go together so well? Last month I made Carmelitas, which are basically oatmeal cookie bars with thick layers of melted chocolate and caramel. I let them cool for about 4 hours before cutting them, and all traces of warmth were gone, but they still didn’t hold their shape well. Figured it was the nature of the beast, but then I tried again the next morning and they held together just fine. I guess some recipes just need time for the contents to set even after they’ve cooled!
Barbara says
Now that’s one of her recipes I’ve never tried. Wow. Looks fabulous!
Mireya @myhealtlhyeatinghabits says
Wow, do those brownies look outrageously good! Regarding the roaming zombies, they’ve roamed all the way over to Arizona. There must be an epidemic.
Mary says
The roaming zombies all seem to be males here. Thanks for visiting!
Alyce Morgan says
Beautiful brownies…made better with your own eggs, I’m guessing! Snowing like mad here in Colorado Springs..we’re freezing! Hope you’ve had a great Ina Friday:)
Mary says
I did use my own eggs. Well, not my eggs but the ones my chickens laid! I guess I shouldn’t mention that it is 72 degrees here? Probably not. Thanks for stopping by!
Savanna says
These look and sound absolutely amazing!