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Home Slices & Bars

Caramel Brownies

By:Nagi
Published:29 Jan '21Updated:1 Feb '21
260 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Q: How do you make brownies even better? A: Stuff ’em with salted caramel. Guilty pleasure? Yep. Caramel Brownies are not for people with a conscience!

Close up of stack of Caramel Brownies

Caramel Brownies

Caramel + brownies in itself isn’t an original idea and if you do a Google search, you’ll find plenty of examples. And I would have used an existing recipe if I found what I was after, but every recipe I came across:

1. Used store-bought caramel;

2. The caramel was runny, more like a caramel sauce, usually drizzled on top of the brownie; or

3. Required a candy thermometer to get the caramel to the exact temperature so it would soft set, rather than ending up runny OR cooking it too far so it ends up like hard toffee.

All I wanted was a creamy layer of caramel inside, and no thanks to the candy thermometer.

Solution? Combine my favourite everyday brownie with the easy creamy caramel from our favourite Caramel Slice, and voila: Caramel Brownies!

Hand holding Caramel Brownies
Overhead photo of Caramel Brownies

What goes in Caramel Brownies

Here’s what you need for the brownie part – nothing ground-breaking here:

Brownie ingredients for Caramel brownies

And here’s what you need for the creamy caramel. The key ingredient here is sweetened condensed milk, which is cooked on a low stove until it changes from white to pale golden ➔ ie. caramel!

Ingredients in Caramel Brownies

Golden syrup is a little cheat ingredient to give the caramel a little boost of extra caramel flavour without the caramel cooking for so long it becomes super-thick, like a peanut butter consistency. We need the caramel to be a pourable consistency so we can pour it over the brownie batter.

Golden syrup is a gold-coloured syrup that’s common in Australian and British baking. If you don’t have it, no need to fret, hunt it down or even bother making it – just use maple syrup instead, which works a treat.

How to make Caramel Brownies

Firstly, make the caramel part because this takes 7 minutes on the stove whereas the batter takes mere minutes:

How to make Caramel Brownies
  1. Melt butter in a saucepan with golden syrup or maple syrup and salt;

  2. Add sweetened condensed milk and mix until well-combined;

  3. Then cook, stirring very frequently, over low heat until it changes from white to a caramel colour. You can get away with only stirring occasionally for the first few minutes, but as you start to see steam, be sure to stir constantly – albeit leisurely – to ensure it doesn’t catch on the base.

    If the caramel happens to catch on the base, you will end up with tiny little brown bits in the caramel. It might look like a big deal when it’s in the saucepan but don’t worry – once it’s baked up inside the brownie and you bite into it, you won’t even notice;

  4. Take it off the stove, then keep stirring for another 30 seconds just to cool it down a touch otherwise the residual heat in the saucepan might still make the caramel catch on the base.

    Cover, then keep warm while you make the batter. It needs to be pourable when you use it.

Caramel for brownies

And here’s how the Caramel Brownie is assembled:

How to make Caramel Brownies
  1. Firstly, make the Brownie batter. It’s very easy and all happens in one bowl. If you want visuals of the steps, pop over to my brownie recipe;

  2. Set aside a heaped ½-cup of the batter for the topping. Then pour the remainder into a 20cm/8″ square pan. A lamington pan will also work well, the slice is just a bit thinner than pictured;

  3. Pour the caramel over as evenly as you can. Note: If your caramel has cooled down to the point that it’s not pourable, just reheat it on a medium stove until it’s pourable again (this literally takes 1 minute). You can’t really spread the caramel because it sinks into the batter once poured. So where you pour is what you get!

  4. Dollop the reserved ½-cup of brownie batter across the top;

  5. Then swirl a butter knife across the surface a few times in large sweeping motions. This is not so much about creating swirl effects on the surface because they don’t really stay once baked, as you can see in Step 6. It’s more about sort-of spreading the brownie batter across the caramel; and

  6. Bake – 30 minutes for very-messy-hands-gooey, as pictured, or 35 minutes for sensible gooey.

Pouring caramel over brownies

And this is what comes out of the oven:

Caramel Brownies cut into slices ready to be eaten

Well, actually, this:

Close up of stack of Caramel Brownies

It’s sweet. It’s rich. It’s indulgent. This one is not for the faint-hearted or “I’m-not-really-a-sweets-person” types! It is for die-hard chocolate and caramel lovers – and everyone out there who just feels they deserve a treat.

Wait – that includes you, my friend. Do it! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Close up photo of Caramel Brownies

Salted Caramel-Stuffed Brownies

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 50 mins
Sweet
Western
4.97 from 54 votes
Servings16
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 523
Recipe video above. How do you make a fudge-y brownie even better? Stuff it with salted caramel!

Ingredients

Brownie

  • 200g / 7oz unsalted butter
  • 200g / 7oz dark chocolate / semi sweet chocolate chips (Note 1)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs , lightly whisked
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
  • 1/2 cup flour , plain/all purpose
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Salted Caramel

  • 395g / 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tbsp golden syrup or maple syrup (Note 2)
  • 60g / 2 oz unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
  • Butter and line a 20cm / 8" square tin with parchment / baking paper.

Salted Caramel

  • Place the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally for the first 1 minute. When it is heated (ie. when you see wisps of steam), whisk constantly (leisurely, not vigorously!) for 7 minutes, ensuring the base doesn't catch (Note 3). It should be a pale golden colour.
  • Remove from stove and whisk for 30 seconds. Place lid on, set aside and keep warm.

Brownies:

  • Melt chocolate & butter: Place chocolate and butter in a bowl. Microwave in three 30 second bursts on high, stirring in between bursts, until melted and smooth.
  • Add sugar, eggs, vanilla: Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture and mix well to combine.
  • Add dry ingredients: Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Mix until smooth and combined.
  • Reserve some batter: Measure out 1/2 cup of brownie batter and set aside. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared tin.
  • Pour over caramel: Pour the Salted Caramel over the brownie batter, getting as much coverage as you can (as you can't easily spread the caramel once poured). If caramel has cooled and is no longer pourable, reheat it on stove for 1 minute until runny again.
  • Cover with reserved brownie batter: Dollop the reserved 1/2 cup of brownie batter randomly over the Salted Caramel. Use a knife or skewer to make “swirls” – they won't be so visible once baked, it's more about spreading brownie batter over the caramel.
  • Bake: Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes (for very gooey brownie, as pictured) to 35 minutes (for very moist but not super-gooey).
  • Cool: Leave to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Use surplus paper overhang to lift out onto a cooling rack. Cool for a further 20 minutes before slicing. Note: Caramel is a bit gooey when still warm but sets firmer once fully cooled, ie. it will cut through neatly.

Recipe Notes:

1. Chocolate – You must use baking chocolate which you will find in the baking aisle at supermarkets. Not regular dark chocolate made for eating! (Well, you can eat the baking chocolate if you want 😉 )
2. Golden syrup is like a cross between honey and molasses – it is thick and sweet but not as thick as molasses. It is mainly used for colour in this recipe so you can substitute with maple syrup, or even leave it out.
3. Caramel – The condensed milk has a tendency to catch on the bottom of the saucepan which will result in golden bits distributed throughout. Don’t despair if this happens, you will barely notice it once baked. But you do need to whisk consistently to ensure you don’t end up with a sticky, burnt mess in the saucepan!
4. Baking time – The bake time is slightly longer than when you are making a plain brownie because of the caramel layer, which causes the brownie to take longer. 
5. Measures – Tablespoon and cup measures differ from country to country. For this recipe, the difference is not enough to impact it. I have made it with both US and Australian measures (the two countries at the extremes in difference) and could not tell the difference. The only exception is Japan – please use weight measures provided (your cups are far too small).
6. Nutrition per brownie, assuming you cut it into 16 squares as directed, rather than into 4 very large squares (tempting as that might be).

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 79gCalories: 293cal (15%)Carbohydrates: 33g (11%)Protein: 4g (8%)Fat: 17g (26%)Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)Trans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 76mg (25%)Sodium: 214mg (9%)Potassium: 154mg (4%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 30g (33%)Vitamin A: 533IU (11%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 95mg (10%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: caramel brownie
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Originally published August 2015. Updated with brand new photos and video in January 2021 – about time!!

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260 Comments

  1. cc says

    April 4, 2022 at 4:39 am

    heya can this caramel be stored? if so, how?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 4, 2022 at 6:59 pm

      You can store it in the fridge in an airtight container then heat it on the stove until pourable when you’re ready to use it. N x

      Reply
      • cc says

        April 5, 2022 at 4:53 am

        hi Nagi, thanks for your reply! Do they remain liquid-ish or will they harden? Would any air-tight container work?

        Reply
  2. Ode Gee says

    March 3, 2022 at 1:48 pm

    Hi Nagi, you have a wonderful food site I peek into from time to time. A die-hard choc and caramel fan as I am, I feel very tempted to try out these brownies (I bake classic ones fairly regularly). For the filling, what do you say I just use a can of dulce de leche, which I make by dumping a can of sweetened condensed milk into a pot of water and boiling it for 3 hrs. It is pretty thick and caramelley, would work, do you think? I don’t want to hunt for syrups, they’re practically inexistent here in Italy. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 3, 2022 at 2:02 pm

      Hi Ode – as per the notes under the recipe, you can just leave the syrup out as its mainly for colour. I am not sure that an already caramelised can of dulce de leche will spread evenly without dragging through the batter and it won’t have the same salted and buttery flavour and texture. N x

      Reply
      • Ode Gee says

        March 3, 2022 at 8:29 pm

        Ok, duly noted. I will try though, but with a warm dulce de leche which is spreadable and pliable. As for salt, I can always sprinkle some on. Thank you!

        Reply
        • Nagi says

          March 4, 2022 at 1:34 pm

          Let me know how it turns out!! N x

          Reply
  3. Ellie says

    January 23, 2022 at 8:26 pm

    Hi Nagi, I recently made your nutellea stuffed brownies – an absolute HIT, but I was just wondering if I could duplicate the nutella process with the Caramel and freeze the caramel into an even layer, then lay it in between the brownie mix? Thanks! Love all your recipes x

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 24, 2022 at 5:10 pm

      No need to freeze the caramel layer Ellie – it is easily poured over the brownies unlike the nutella which is much harder to spread. N x

      Reply
  4. Rachel says

    December 13, 2021 at 2:08 pm

    5 stars
    These are amazing and I love them. I tried them with maple syrup the first time but it didn’t quite give me the color I wanted, so since I can’t find golden syrup here, I used a tiny bit of molasses, which worked out pretty well.

    I found that they almost turn into fudge in the fridge/freezer.

    Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  5. Jo says

    December 4, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    5 stars
    This is cooling as I type – looking forward to sharing with my friends tonight. One thing – I don’t know if you’ve spotted, Nagi, but the directions for cooking the caramel change from the ‘picture’ section to the recipe box. In the picture section, it says that you melt the butter, syrup and salt first, then add the condensed milk and turn the heat to low; in the recipe section it says you start off with all the ingredients in the pan and have the heat at medium high – no mention of changing the heat. Once I’ve saved a recipe, I tend to jump to the recipe box rather than re-reading the pictures section, and I think that having all the ingredients in the pan from the start, and not realising I needed to turn down the heat until about half way through cooking (when I went back up to check what the colour should look like) probably contributed to the bottom catching slightly right at the start (i.e. even before the first minute was up – I was stirring from the beginning and was immediately bringing up slightly browned pieces).
    Fortunately, I don’t think it is going to make a difference to the end result!

    Reply
    • Jo says

      December 5, 2021 at 8:42 am

      5 stars
      Just adding – these were a huge hit with my friends last night (and even better this morning!). The only challenge was that all of the caramel sank to the bottom of the batter, and had therefore slightly caught on the base (slight ‘burnt sugar’ flavour). Is there anything I can do to increase the density of the batter slightly (potential increase in the amount of flour/cocoa powder?) that will help get the caramel to sit in the middle?

      Reply
  6. Britney says

    November 8, 2021 at 3:49 pm

    5 stars
    Love love your recipes!Can this brownie be frozen?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 10, 2021 at 4:13 pm

      I wouldn’t recommend that with the caramel. My normal brownies freeze well though! N x

      Reply
  7. Andrea Reich says

    September 27, 2021 at 8:53 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious, your recipes never fail me Nagi. I cooked for 35 minutes and it was perfect, served with thickened cream

    Reply
  8. Rudson Machado says

    September 26, 2021 at 12:00 pm

    Hi there, thank you so much for the recipe. Just my one the caramel did not ended up creamy like yours 🙁 do you think I left in for too long?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 27, 2021 at 10:43 am

      Hi Rudson, sorry you had issues here, what exactly happened to is, what was the texture like? N x

      Reply
  9. Richelle says

    June 16, 2021 at 5:44 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve made this 3-4 times now and each time it’s turned out brilliantly. I recently tried it with gluten-free flour and it was exactly the same in terms of taste and texture. The only very minor difference was that the caramel layer seemed to sink toward the bottom!

    Reply
  10. Heather says

    May 28, 2021 at 11:44 pm

    5 stars
    Have made this before and it’s wonderful.. just wondering if anyone has doubled recipe for a larger crowd?

    Reply
  11. Emily says

    April 11, 2021 at 10:49 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was amazing… best brownies I have ever tasted. However I was wondering if it is possible to sub out the cocoa powder for cacao? I have too much of that in my cupboard and looking for a way to get rid of it! Any advice is appreciated 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 12, 2021 at 2:25 pm

      Hi Emily, cacao is not roasted whereas cocoa has been – you could sub cacao, the flavour may be slightly different but still delicious! N x

      Reply
      • Rūhī Powdrell says

        August 15, 2021 at 12:14 pm

        5 stars
        Soo good and fudgey
        The caramel with rich and smooth. But the caramel sunk it the bottom a bit. Over all 8/10

        Reply
  12. Jack says

    April 11, 2021 at 6:02 am

    Made this for easter dinner turned out good!

    Reply
  13. Lara Stubbs says

    April 9, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    Such a delicious recipe!! Ive made it a couple of times now, and both times it’s turned out amazing, but has taken a bit longer than the recipe says. I’m not really sure what I’m doing wrong?

    Reply
  14. Ellen says

    April 9, 2021 at 3:13 pm

    So… this is heartbreaking but I somehow didn’t have enough batter reserved to cover the caramel… I think the tin I used was the wrong size.,. I’ve popped it in the oven anyway and I’m gonna see if I can somehow rescue it with some strategically placed walnuts or similar 😅

    Reply
  15. Lynda says

    March 31, 2021 at 9:30 am

    Hi Nagi🙂 I’m not to your recipes & just want to tell you that I made these yesterday, as well as our recipe for ordinary brownies, & they both turned out absolutely amazing. I wasn’t too sure how I’d like the caramel ones, but O M G, they were the just yummiest, fudgiest brownies I’ve made yet & I only started making them a few weeks ago. I make my brownies in a brownie tin & cook on 160°C for 17mins, but cooked the caramel ones for 23mins & they were perfect. Just one question though, could I use the Nestle tin caramel instead of cooked condensed milk as it’s painful for me to stir that long because of shoulder problems?
    I also made a batch of your Easter buns yesterday & they turned out perfect too😋 I’ve actually got a choc chip batch rising atm because my granddaughter doesn’t like the traditional ones.
    I look forward to cooking more of your recipes! Thank You😊

    Reply
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