Salted Caramel Brownies

It's official.  I'm in love with sweet-salty combos.  And it's my birthday.  And this is my birthday cake.   I already got two of my birthday presents from Naddydaddy and he's still finishing an AVP for my birthday.  I think it's going to be pretty special because I know he's been asking some of my friends for something for it.  That's all I know, I promise.  That's one of his acts of love.  Isn't he the sweetest?  So I know  getting me a birthday cake is far from his mind.  I'm too shy to make a full-blown birthday cake for myself so I made something that I'm sure Naddydaddy would like too.   And liked it he did!  

The brownie is chocolatey and fudgy but still not too heavy.  I reduced the white sugar from the recipe by 1/4 cup because I know I would want to pour some more caramel after each bite.  Well, there are really some things you know even before they happen.  Must be a woman's instinct.   Or not.  Okay, okay, I'll admit it.  I'm an addict.  A caramel addict.   I can't help myself even if I want to.  I think I made a convert out of Naddy too.  He's not a fan of caramel, but this one's got him licking the plate clean. And yes, he did ask me to pour some more caramel too.  

It's quite easy to make too.   Now I wonder why I ever bought those bottled caramels that I never used.  I had to refrigerate the caramel-topped brownie and the leftover caramel though to make it thicker.  The caramel did not harden at all.  The brownie may be served straight from the ref.  

This is another recipe that I got from Pioneer Woman.  You can tell I'm a fan.  The link gives a step-by-step procedure.   Here's the recipe, lifted verbatim:

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BROWNIES:
6 ounces, weight Unsweetened Chocolate, Chopped
¾ cups Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces
2 cups Sugar
3 whole Eggs
1 cup All-purpose Flour

FOR THE CARAMEL GLAZE:
½ cups Heavy Cream
2 cups Sugar
½ cups Water
¼ cups Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
2 packages (about 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon) Powdered Gelatin Mixed With 1/4 Cup Water

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Note: Many have reported problems with the gelatin in the caramel sauce. For this reason, I’d recommend either leaving out the gelatin OR decreasing the amount by quite a bit.
FOR THE BROWNIES:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter or baking spray.
In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring until melted. Add sugar and stir gently until combined. Remove from heat.
In a separate bowl, gently whisk the eggs. Add a small splash of eggs to chocolate mixture, stirring immediately (but still gently). Drizzle in the rest of the eggs, stirring constantly.
Add flour and stir until combined. Pour batter into greased baking pan and spread to even out the surface.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then remove from oven to cool completely in the pan.
FOR THE CARAMEL GLAZE:
In a small saucepan over low heat, warm heavy cream. Do not boil.
In a separate tall saucepan, combine sugar and water. Do not stir. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture turns an amber color—not too dark, but definitely amber. Remove pan from stove.
Add warm cream, butter, and salt. Stir gently until mixture is smooth and well combined. When it is smooth and calmed down a bit, pour in gelatin/water mixture and stir.
TO FINISH:
Pour caramel glaze all over completely cooled brownies. Allow to set completely. Cut into small rectangles and serve.

***Lining the pan with foil would allow you to lift the brownies out of the pan after the caramel glaze sets. Then you can use a long, serrated knife and slice more easily.***