salted caramel ROLO brownies
A huge hit at a party I baked for last weekend, you won’t believe how much flavor is packed into these bite-sized salted caramel ROLO brownies!
I had the pleasure of creating a dessert bar for a birthday party hosted during the Super Bowl this year. Throughout the month I’ll be sharing the incredible recipes that the host and I collaborated on, but I couldn’t wait a second longer to share these Salted Caramel ROLO Brownies. They have several layers to them, but each component is fairly simple to throw together. The end result? Bite-sized brownies just bursting with flavor.
Inspired by this recipe from Bakers Royale, brownie batter is made from scratch and paired with mini ROLOS, chocolate ganache, and salted caramel sauce. This recipe totally reminds me of Joey from the FRIENDS Thanksgiving episode in response to Rachel’s trifle. What’s not to love? Brownies? Good. Chocolate ganache? Good. Salted caramel? Gooood.
I used vanilla bean sea salt for the salted caramel sauce because it was also being paired with a vanilla bean cake. The caramel turned out heavenly with the vanilla bean salt, but if you don’t have any on hand, any flaky sea salt will work just fine. You can certainly use traditional ROLOS in a pinch, but mini ROLOS come already unwrapped in a resealable bag and are the perfect size for the mini brownie molds; a delicious little time saver for sure!
I should warn you that the salted caramel sauce recipe will make way more than you need for these brownies, but I’m confident you’ll find a good use for its sweet and salty leftovers. Just in case you need some inspiration, I’ll be sharing a cake recipe later this month that you don’t want to miss. Stay tuned as I share more recipes from our fabulous dessert bar, but in the meantime be sure and make yourself a batch of these Salted Caramel ROLO Brownies. They’re perfect for sharing on Valentine’s Day!
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, melted
- 1¼ cups cocoa
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature, cubed
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
- 1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean sea salt (or any flaky sea salt)
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray mold cavities with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in both sugars until mixture is smooth. Add butter, cocoa, vanilla, flour, and salt and mix until fully incorporated and glossy.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop batter into each cavity of the brownie mold. Press a mini ROLO into the center of each brownie and bake for 15 minutes.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes before popping pan into freezer for 5 minutes to help release the brownies. Wipe cavities with a damp paper towel, spray with cooking spray and repeat with remaining half of batter.
- Using the double boiler method, place a heat safe bowl on top of a small pan of simmering water. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in butter until fully combined and shiny.
- Place sugar in the bottom of a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk the sugar as it begins to caramelize, breaking up clumps as the sugar melts. Once sugar is completely melted, stop stirring and allow to reach 350 degrees Fahrenheit, swirling occasionally. Sugar should be a rich brown color with toasted aromas.
- Once caramel reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit, carefully whisk in butter until completely melted. Take caution as the caramel will violently bubble when added.
- Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream and sea salt until caramel is smooth and silky.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes before pouring into a heat safe jar and allow to come to room temperature. Refrigerate sauce between use.
- Place cooled brownie bites on a wire rack with a sheet of parchment paper underneath.
- Transfer ganache and salted caramel sauce into disposable decorating bags. Twist closed and cut off a small opening at the tip.
- Drizzle chocolate and caramel atop each brownie. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
RESOURCES
Wilton Silicone Brownie Squares Baking Mold
OXO Good Grips Small Cookie Scoop
High Temperature Candy Thermometer
Vanilla Bean Flake Sea Salt
Wilton Disposable Decorating Bags
A Super Bowl dessert bar seems like a great idea and every party should have one. I’m gonna put one together this year – thanks for the idea and this delish recipe!!
There was a time when I basically lived off of Rolos, much to my mother’s dismay. Now I need these now-ish and immediately.
Good grief! These look positively addictive – hide ;)
Carmel gooooooddd. I love it, and my husband cannot resist it. And on a different note, i love your pictures! They make me want to lick the computer screen (OK, that was probably TMI). :o)
Haha! I love this comment. I was so bummed posting this last night having to look at those pictures knowing that all of the brownies were gone. :)
brownies, chocolate, and salted caramel, what is NOT to love! these sound simply perfect
Love this recipe, it all sounds so good! I love the idea of a dessert bar at a party, what a fun idea! I know these brownies certainly didn’t last long.
Thanks Joanie! The dessert bar was such a fun unexpected surprise for the guests. Everyone loved it!
Goood. Ha totally read that in Joey’s voice. Vanilla bean sea salt sounds like a wonderful touch!
Darn it I have everything but the heavy cream! Adding it to the grocery list now…
You could theoretically make these without the salted caramel. But I have to disclose that it’s my favorite part! :)
I love every single thing about these.
This looks amazing. Or indeed, as Joey would say, GOOOOOD.