Pumpkin and Spice

These brownies almost didn't make it to the blog. There was a potluck at work, and I boldly ignored the unwritten rule of not trying new recipes on the day of a dinner party. I had this awesome idea of brownies with gooey swirls of caramel... In my head, they were fudgey brownies with golden pockets of oozy caramel. Sadly, they came out of the oven looking like total hell. The surface of the brownies reminded me of pictures I've seen of cooled lava fields in Hawaii. They were really hideous. I wasn't going to post them, they were so ugly. I almost didn't even bring them to the potluck- but it was the morning of, and I didn't have time to make another batch. I toyed with the idea of buying baked goods at Publix, but decided that, as I work with a bunch of chefs, that would be more embarassing than ugly brownies.

To add to my horror, I was the only one that brought a dessert, which meant I couldn't hide my brownies inbetween other, more asthetically pleasing sweets. Everyone was so excited about them, too... I just prayed they were at least edible...

Well, it turns out I had some good karma coming my way, because the brownies were so freaking good!The caramel didn't make gooey pockets like I had hoped, but rather soaked into the brownies, giving them moist, sticky swirls inside that were chocolatey and caramely all at the same time. Everyone raved about how delicious they were! Luckily, by the time I got to dessert, I had eaten so much collard greens and sweet potato casserole, I only had enough room for half a brownie- otherwise I might have eaten half the tray. Also luckily, I swiped one and wrapped it for Kyle, because by the end of lunch, the brownies were gone.

So, if you want a crazy-addictive brownie, and are unconcerned with them being a little ugly, give these a spin. They're a little more work than a regular pan of brownies, but aren't hard at all. (And totally worth the extra effort!)

Gooey Caramel Brownies
Makes a 9x13 tray of brownies

For the brownies~

• 10 oz dark chocolate, chopped (I used Callebaut)
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2c sugar
• 2 sticks butter, melted
• 1c flour
• 1/4c cocoa powder
• 1 1/2t salt
• 1t baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring often to prevent burning. In a large bowl, cream the eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add the butter and chocolate and mix until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. Add it to the chocolate mixture, and mix until combined and no lumps remain. Spread evenly in the lined pan. Set aside and make the caramel.

For the caramel~

• 1c sugar
• 1/2c water
• 1/2c-3/4c heavy cream
• 2T butter

In a saucepan on med-high heat, cook the sugar and water. Once it starts boiling, pay close attention to it. Cook the sugar syrup until it turns a dark golden color (about the color of maple syrup.) Remove from heat and add the cream. Be careful, the syrup will bubble. Swirl the pan to mix in the cream. Add the butter, and stir until melted.

With a small spoon, make channels in the brownie batter (try not to go all the way to the pan bottom). Fill the channels with caramel sauce. Make channels in the brownies going the opposite direction, and fill with caramel. Bake for about 30min. It's okay if the brownie looks a little gooey, the hot caramel with keep baking it a bit. Wait until cool, then cut into squares and stuff your face!