Salty Sticky Toffee Brownies

Like so many people, I absolutely adore the combination of salty and sweet.  When I'm baking a dessert, I almost always add a touch of salt for the depth of flavour it adds and to balance out the sweetness. However, there are some desserts that really lend themselves to an intense hit of salt; caramel (or toffee) definitely falls into this category for me,

You might be wondering why I chose to call this recipe "salty sticky toffee brownies" as opposed to using the word caramel in the description.  The reason is that I made a traditional sticky toffee pudding sauce to go with these brownies instead of a caramel sauce.   The toffee sauce is made by putting golden syrup, sugar and butter into a saucepan and bringing to a boil.  Alternatively, caramel sauce is made by putting sugar and a little water in a saucepan and cooking until the sugar turns amber in colour. The reason I chose to make a toffee sauce is the rich treacle flavour matches the deep fudgyness of the brownies so perfectly.  As well, I love the luscious consistency of the toffee sauce and how blissfully easy it is to make.

The brownie recipe is also very simple to make and doesn't involve any special equipment.  All you need is a mixing bowl, spatula, an 8 inch square pan and some parchment paper.  I would be remiss not to mention that using a kitchen scale to measure ingredients when baking (especially butter) provides a more accurate measurement.  However, it's fine to use the measurement guide that comes on a packet of butter.

Here's the brownie recipe:

1 cup (7 ounces) of semi sweet chocolate 

1/4 cup (2 ounces) of unsalted butter

3/4 cup of brown sugar

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1/2 cup of all purpose flour (plus an additional 2 teaspoons of flour to mix with chocolate chips, which is explained in more detail below)

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease 8 inch pan with butter and then line with some parchment paper.  Let the parchment hang over the sides of the pan to use as handles for easily lifting the brownies out after baking.

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate and butter and melt in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, pausing to stir the mixture occasionally, until melted..  Alternatively, this could be done in a heat proof bowl over pot of gently simmering water (also known as a bain marie).  I find it easy and just as effective to melt the chocolate and butter mixture in the microwave.  It's not a bad idea to use a glass mixing bowl (since metal or plastic shouldn't go in a microwave) to melt the chocolate and butter in.  That way, you can easily carry on with adding the remaining ingredients to one bowl and not have more dirty dishes to clean.

In a medium sized mixing bowl (or the same glass mixing bowl mentioned above) combine together the chocolate/butter mixture with brown sugar and vanilla, mixing until incorporated.  Then add one egg at a time, stirring after each addition until combined.  Then add 1/2 cup of flour and salt mixing until the batter comes together, then set aside for a minute.  In a separate small bowl, toss the chocolate chips in the remaining 2 teaspoons of flour.  This will ensure that the chocolate chips don't settle on the bottom of the brownies while baking in the oven.  Then incorporate the flour coated chocolate chips to the brownie batter, then pour into the prepared 8 inch pan.

Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes.  However, every oven cooks differently, so the cooking time I've listed is really just a guide.  I would set your timer for 20 minutes to check on the brownies and if they're not ready put back in for 5 minutes at a time until done.  You'll know the brownies are just right when you jiggle the pan and the middle of the brownies doesn't move much. Inserting a cake tester (or toothpick) into the brownies to test for doneness doesn't really work for this recipe.  The chocolate chips tend to make it hard to get an accurate reading on whether the brownies are ready when using a cake tester.  Let the brownies sit in the tin on a cool surface or a wire rack for at least 20 minutes to cool off and ensure the brownies can be removed from the tin without breaking or cracking.  While the brownies cool in the tin, get started on preparing the toffee sauce.  

Here's the salty toffee sauce recipe:

1/4 cup of golden syrup or golden corn syrup (I use http://www.lylesgoldensyrup.com/)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of whole or homogenized milk
large pinch of sea salt plus a bit more for sprinkling on the brownies later (I use fleur de sel http://www.saunierdecamargue.fr/home.html)

Method:

In a small to medium sized heavy bottomed saucepan; combine together the golden syrup, brown sugar, butter and bring to a simmer over medium high heat, constantly stirring with a rubber spatula. Once gently bubbling, add the milk while continuing to mix - be careful as the sauce may boil up and could splash.  Continue to stir until the sauce has cooled slightly, then add a good pinch of salt.  Pour the sauce over the brownies letting it ooze over the side of the brownies. Sprinkle the whole thing with some more sea salt and serve.

Once again, here is the final product!