Salted caramel and peanut butter brownies

Serves: 0
Course: Dessert
Cooking Time: 0 hr 40 mins

Ingredients

  • <ul> <li>350g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)</li> <li>200g butter</li> <li>4 eggs</li> <li>250g rapsadura sugar (most health shops will have it)</li> <li>100g plain flour</li> <li>2 tbsp crunchy or smooth peanut butter</li> <li>FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE</li> <li>75g butter</li> <li>100g soft brown sugar</li> <li>3 tbsp golden syrup</li> <li>125ml single cream</li> <li>Flaky sea salt (not rock salt)</li> </ul>

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees.
Start with the caramel sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter, sugar and syrup together and simmer for five minutes – you're aiming for a slow, rolling bubbling here. Then remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the cream. Warning: it will sputter, so protect yourself. Add a couple of pinches of salt and set aside to cool.
To make the brownies, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over hot water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. While it's melting, beat the sugar and eggs together until thick and voluptuous.
Then fold in the chocolate/butter mixture and the flour and pour the mixture into a 23cm-square cake tin. It helps to line it with parchment, but it's not obligatory. Cook for seven minutes, then remove from the oven and swirl in half the caramel sauce and the peanut butter. Set the rest aside for drizzling later. The mixture will look really liquidy, but don't fret. Return to the oven and cook for about 30 more minutes.
Leave to cool completely before removing from tin, slicing and serving with the caramel sauce and perhaps some crème fraîche.

Domini Kemp

Domini Kemp

Domini Kemp, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a chef and food writer