CARAMEL AND PECAN TURTLE BROWNIES
Exclusive Recipe from Desserts LaBelle by Patti LaBelle
Now, you may think you never met a brownie you didn’t like, but these are brownies to LOVE. These chunky bars are the perfect combination of cakey and fudgy, and have a topping of caramel, pecans, and chocolate chips to remind you of gooey turtle candies. This is another recipe to have on file when you need a treat that you can whip up in no time but still have everyone oohing and aahing over your baking skills.
Makes 9 brownies
Softened butter and flour, for the pan
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 caramel candies, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1-Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan. Fold a 14-inch-long strip of aluminum foil (preferably nonstick) lengthwise to fit into the bottom and up two sides of the pan, letting the excess foil hang over the sides as “handles.” Dust the exposed sides of the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
2-Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Let stand until the chips soften, about 3 minutes. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the brown sugar and whisk well. One at a time, whisk in the eggs, followed by the vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until smooth. Scrape into the pan and smooth the top.
3-Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the pastry comes out with a few clinging crumbs, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes.
4-Heat the caramels and heavy cream in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until the caramels melt and the mixture is smooth, about 4 minutes. Drizzle the caramel mixture over the pastry. Sprinkle with the pecans and the remaining chips. Let the pastry cool completely in the pan.
5-Run a small sharp knife around the inside of the pan to release the pastry from the sides of the pan. Lift up on the foil handles to remove the pastry. Cut into 9 bars. (The bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.)
For more delicious recipes, check out Desserts LaBelle by Patti LaBelle. Published by Grand Central Publishing. Copyright © 2017 Patti LaBelle.
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