Cashew Caramel Brownies

I’ve been sitting on these brownies for a while now, and I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to share them. Well, I haven’t been sitting on the brownies themselves – just the recipe. But now that I think about it, maybe I have been sitting on the brownies, in a sense, since I ate so many of them when I made these. :)

I’m a sucker for the cashew/caramel combination, and also the caramel/chocolate combination, so when I saw this recipe there was no chance I wouldn’t be making these. We all loved them. They’re fudgy and sweet and rich and decadent. I love the textural balance of the fudgy brownie, the crunchy cashews and the gooey caramel. I never met a brownie I didn’t like, but I really, really liked this one.

Cashew Caramel Brownies
from 5 Dollar Dinners

4 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 cup butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 caramels, cut into quarters
1 cup cashews, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.

2. Melt the chopped baking chocolate with the butter and 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir together. Let cool while you start on the next part.

3. In a stand mixer or mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. After the chocolate mixture has cooled, beat it into the eggs mixture. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. Gently fold in the rest of the chocolate chips, the caramels and the chopped cashews. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean in the center.

6. Let cool slightly before cutting and serving. Serve warm or, to serve after cooled, warm the brownies in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds, or long enough to make the caramel soft again.