Yahoo Lifestyle I Tried the Internet's Favorite Salted Caramel Brownies, and They Were the Best I've Ever Tasted
As far as pastries go, I’d argue that there’s hardly anything better than a hot, fresh, buttered croissant straight out of the oven. And the only other pastry worthy enough to compete would be its sweeter counterpart, a hot and freshly glazed donut. I feel James Beard Award-winning pastry chef, Dominique Ansel might have also agreed which led him to create the mother of all pastries: the cronut!
But croissants and donuts aren’t why we are here today, but they are worth mentioning. Because the person with the mind to create such a thing as the cronut, is a person worth following around in the kitchen. And today we are following Dominique Ansel's recipe for the only other baked treat that can compete against those previously mentioned. Behold, here's what happened when I tried what Dominique Ansel deems as his go-to brownie recipe.
Get the recipe: Dominique Ansel’s Go-To Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients for Dominique Ansel’s Brownies
For the brownies you will need butter, granulated sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, all-purpose flour and chocolate chips. For the additional caramel drizzle, you’ll need heavy cream, light corn syrup, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and fleur de sel.
Related: Katharine Hepburn's Famous Brownies Are Rich, Fudgy Perfection
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How to Make Dominique Ansel’s Brownies
Begin by prepping your baking pan. To do this you will need to butter each side of the dish and pour in some cocoa powder. Shake the powder around until the dish is evenly coated and pour out any excess. Set aside.
Combine the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat. Continuously stir the mixture for about 1 to 2 minutes until all of the butter has melted.
Related: How to Make Boxed Brownies Better, According to Reddit
Next, in a large bowl whisk together your eggs and the remaining sugar to make an egg mixture. To do this, whisk your the sugar mixture into the egg mixture and continue to whisk until combined. Add in the cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and flour and continue to whisk. Add in the chocolate chips and evenly fold them into the mix with a spatula.
Pour the completed mixture into your baking dish and bake at 350°for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top of the brownies begins to crack.
If you’re making the additional caramel drizzle, whisk together cream, corn syrup and brown sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove remove from heat and cover to keep warm. In another saucepan, heat a thin layer of granulated sugar, adding the rest gradually, whisking until the sugar caramelizes and turns amber, about 1-2 minutes. Pour some of the cream mixture into the caramel and whisk, then carefully whisk in the remaining cream, watching for splatters. Reduce heat to low and whisk until the caramel reaches 221°, about 4-5 minutes without a thermometer. Stir in fleur de sel, then pour the caramel into a heatproof bowl to cool. Once cooled, stir again to re-emulsify and it's ready for drizzling.
Related: How to Make Red Wine Boxed Brownies
What I Thought of Dominique Ansel’s Brownies
These brownies were very rich and chewy, even though I may have slightly over-baked mine. The mix of chocolate chips throughout the brownies give it an added bit of fudginess that I did not expect, but that I wanted more of. The only thing that could make these brownies better is if I had also added in Ansel’s caramel drizzle.
Related: Gooey Fudgy Flourless Double Chocolate Brownies
Tips for Making Dominique Ansel’s Brownies
Whatever you do, don't over-bake. I kept my brownies in the oven until they could pass the fork test, but in doing so I overcooked them a bit. If I had removed them just as the top crust began to crack, I feel they would have had more of a fudgy texture as I believe was intended. Learn from my mistakes, and remove the brownies from the oven as specified by the instructions. Recipes exist for a reason!
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