Brownie Caramel Nut Tarts

What have I been thinking?

I looked back on the recipes I’ve been making lately and they’re as white as the Oscars.

It’s time to bring back the chocolate, folks, because- wait. I don’t even need to explain the rationale on this. Chocolate speaks for itself.

I commit that I will never go more than five posts in a row without chocolate again. (Okay, technically my White Chocolate Pistachio Cookies from last month had chocolate in them, but white chocolate is kind of the mulatto of the chocosphere, no?) I will do better. I will show more diversity in my baking, because everyone knows the World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie is so deserving of an Academy Award.

Adapted from my World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie recipe…

BROWNIE TARTS:

4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate (the better the chocolate, the better the brownie)

3/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla

3 lightly beaten eggs

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup toasted nuts, chopped (almonds, pecans, walnuts)- plus extra 3/4 cup for sprinkling over tops as garnish

Optional: 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips

CARAMEL:

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup half-and-half cream

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1. BROWNIE TARTS:
  1. Preheat oven to 350° and generously grease 6 removable-bottomed tart pans.
  2. Melt chocolate & butter in microwave for 2:15 minutes and stir.
  3. Stir in sugar, then vanilla, then eggs, then salt, espresso powder (optional) & flour.
  4. Stir in nuts &/or chocolate chips if you so desire.
  5. Pour batter into prepared tart pans and bake for about 18-20 minutes (until centers are just set).
  6. Cool on a cooling rack while preparing caramel sauce, then remove from pans.
2. CARAMEL SAUCE:
  1. In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except for vanilla and cook over medium heat (whisking regularly) for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and allow to thicken slightly as it cools.
3. Pour room temperature caramel over cooled brownie tarts, then sprinkle chopped nuts over top.
Tips:
- Can I make the brownies in a pan instead? Of course- not everyone has tart pans, and sometimes it’s better to slice MANY brownies than just have six tarts. For a 9 x 9″ pan, bake for 30 minutes or so. For a 9 x 13″ pan, just decrease the bake time to 28 minutes and you will be good to go. Be careful not to over bake these brownies; you’re looking for moist crumbs in the middle of the pan on a cake tester.
- Want to cheat on the caramel sauce? This jar of caramel by Kokku is the BEST EVER. The ingredients are natural, too, so no worries about ingredients you can’t pronounce! (The Husband found it at Whole Foods, FYI.)
- Definitely toast the nuts. Not toasting the nuts is like asking people to like a slightly above average dessert. You are better than slightly above average. (Heat them on a baking pan in the hot oven for about 8 minutes, until light brown and fragrant.) (Not too fragrant though.)
- You can freeze the brownies but not so much on the caramel.
- Enjoy!
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February 13th, 2016 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Brownies & Bars, Caramel, Nuts, Tarts