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Ultra-Chocolatey Brownies with a Pretzel Crust and Salted Caramel Drizzle
5 from 3 votes

Ultra-Chocolatey Brownies with a Pretzel Crust and Salted Caramel Drizzle

Fudgy, ultra-chocolatey brownies kicked up with a salty pretzel crust and caramel drizzle.

Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
Course: Dessert, Baked Goods, Others

Ingredients

For Pretzel crust:
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups pretzel twists 1 cup crushed, 100g, mini, salted
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup butter 1 stick, melted, unsalted
For brownies
  • 1 cup butter 2 sticks, melted, unsalted
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 4 egg large
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cocoa powder Dutch, if possible, unsweetened
  • 1 teaspoon salt fine sea salt
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
For topping (optional, but oh so much fun)
  • 12-16 pretzel twists if desired, small, mini
  • 2-3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 12 soft caramel candies
  • sea salt flaky

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preparation: Line a 9x13x2 pan with parchment. Preheat oven to 350ºF
  2. Make pretzel crust:
  3. In the bowl of a food processor add pretzels, pulse a few times until moderately fine crumbs form (a few larger pieces are fine). Add flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse again until mixture looks like wet sand. Tip mixture into the bottom of the parchment- lined baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
  4. Make brownies
  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl) beat the melted butter, sugar, espresso powder and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly blended.
  6. In a medium bowl add flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until no lumps of coca power remain. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour/cocoa powder mixture into the butter/egg mixture until blended. Don’t over mix. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly over the pretzel crust.
  7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until top is crackly and an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean (some batter n the bottom is fine). Remove, and set pan on a wire rack. Cool pan fully before cutting and drizzling toppings.
  8. Make and drizzle topping: Note: Make sure brownies are fully cool before topping.
  9. Cut brownies and lay them close together on a sheet of parchment or foil.
  10. In a small glass bowl, add caramel candies. Place bowl in microwave set on half power setting, Heat in 10-15 second bursts, stirring between each one until candy is fully melted. Dip a spoon in and drizzle all over brownies. Working quickly while caramel is hot, gently press pretzels into caramel, one for each brownie.
  11. In a separate bowl, repeat process with chocolate chips. Drizzle melted chocolate over brownies (of drizzling with the spoon doesn’t work, add melted chocolate to a zip top bag and snip one corner off). Sprinkle with just a little flaky sea salt and serve.