Salted Caramel Brownies

• 3eggs, large
• 80 gplain flour
• 200 glight brown sugar
• 150 gunsalted butter, 5 g reserved for greasing
• 200 gdark chocolate, 70%, roughly chopped
• 30 gcocoa powder
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 3 tbspdouble cream
• 1 tspflaky sea salt
• 150 gsoft caramel toffees
• Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Use the reserved 5 g butter to grease a 20cm square tin and line with baking paper, leaving a generous overhang on two sides; that's your handle for lifting the slab out cleanly later.
2. 2Set the chopped chocolate and remaining 145 g butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, base not touching the water. Stir gently for 4–5 minutes until glossy and smooth, then lift off and cool for 5 minutes; pour it in too hot and you'll scramble the eggs.
3. 3Meanwhile, melt the caramel toffees with the double cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly for 3–4 minutes until thick and pourable. Watch it; caramel scorches the second you stop stirring, and burnt caramel turns bitter. Set aside.
4. 4Whisk the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl for 2–3 minutes until pale, thickened and ribbony; the trail of the whisk should sit on the surface for a count of three. This is what gives brownies their crackled top. Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture and fold through until uniform and glossy.
5. 5Sift the flour and cocoa over the top, add ¼ tsp of the salt and fold until just combined. Stop when the flour streaks disappear; overworking now makes the brownies cakey.
6. 6Scrape into the prepared tin and level the surface. Drop the caramel over the batter in fat blobs; eight or nine pools; then drag a skewer through in slow figure-of-eights to marble it. Don't overdo it; you want ribbons, not a uniform swirl.
7. 7Scatter ½ tsp of the flaky sea salt over the surface before baking, keeping the remaining ¼ tsp for finishing.
8. 8Bake for 25–28 minutes. The top should be set and crackled with a faint wobble at the centre when you nudge the tin; a skewer will come out with moist crumbs, not wet batter. Carryover cooking firms them as they cool, so pull on the early side if you want them properly fudgy.
9. 9Cool completely in the tin, allowing about 90 minutes, before lifting out by the paper overhang. Cut into 16 squares with a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts. Divide the reserved ¼ tsp salt over the squares and serve with the optional vanilla ice cream if using.

Per serving

kcal

242

protein

3.4g

fibre

2.1g

carbs

23.1g

fat

15.7g