Caramel Topped Brownies

4 oz butter (unsalted)
4 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped (optional)

Caramel Topping:
4 oz caramels
2 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Optional Drizzle – 2 oz bittersweet chocolate melted with about half a
teaspoon of butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 or 9 inch square metal pan with
parchment paper of foil. If using foil, spray foil with cooking spray. I
used an 8 inch pan.

Melt butter and both chocolates in a bowl set over a pan of simmering
water. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa in a small bowl. Stir well
to mix.

Whisk sugar, eggs and vanilla together in a large bowl. Add melted
chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Stir in the flour
mixture, stirring only until it disappears. Stir in nuts if using.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 28 minutes or until
brownies begin to pull away from pan. Set the brownies on a rack to cool.

Meanwhile, combine caramels and cream in a saucepan and heat over medium
low heat, stirring often, until caramels are melted. Remove from heat
and stir in the vanilla. Pour or drizzle decoratively over the top. If
you end up pouring, you’ll probably want to drizzle some melted
chocolate over the top to make the brownies look better. That’s what I
did. Otherwise, you can just drizzle the caramel decoratively.

Also, if you want to cut these neatly, make sure to chill them for a bit.

When ready to cut, lift from pan, trim off the edges and cut into 6 big
rectangles. Once you’ve got those rectangles, you may want to cut them
in half to make 12


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