Julie and Julia, Cupcakes and Cashmere. Two fantastic examples of baking blogs. They feature recipes, experiences, taste and so much more. They chronicle culinary journeys. And as much as I would like to say that I’m a novice baker with little-to-no experience on a journey towards the mastery of baking, that would be a lie. My mom used to be a pastry chef, so I’ve been surrounded with baking my entire life. Creaming, sifting, folding. I’ve been there. It’s natural to me.
Now, I’m not saying that my plan is to conquer the internet with my baked goods. I’m sure my cupcakes won’t cure cancer or end war. Instead, my goal is to improve myself and my skills as a baker.
Everyone’s favorite person in the house, at school, or in the restaurant, is the baker. Baked goods make people happy, simple as that. And I want to be that person.
So to start off, I brainstormed a list of ideas. Cupcakes, madeleines, palmiers, you name it, I thought of it. And after setting up a schedule and settling on a list of 21 haute pastries, I officially began my journey.
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Salted caramel brownies are the type of baked goods that you dream about. Not even regular dreams, but daydreams and everyday fantasies. That’s how amazing they are. So for my first recipe, I decided they were the perfect challenge: brownies were basic enough not to screw up, and caramel was difficult enough to provide a challenge. Which is exactly what happened.
For the brownies, I used a simple cocoa brownie recipe. After about 10 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of baking, the result was fudgy, rich and delicious. They were the kind of brownies that speak to your soul and say, Hey, you’re special. They were that good.
The caramel, however, proved to be the real challenge. The result was horrendously messy. This could have been prevented if I’d realized the recipe I’d used was caramel sauce rather than a spreadable topping, but to be honest, I was too lazy to find one. After whisking the caramel over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes, I assumed it was done. Unfortunately, as many of my friends and random taste-testers can attest, the sloppy mess they made was slightly unappealing. Thick, goopy caramel oozed into every bit of the brownie, the plate, my hands and my life. As opposed to the brownies, the caramel was taunting me.
On the whole, the overall taste of the salted caramel brownies beat out the messiness of the caramel. The texture was thick and pleasing, and the salt complimented the caramel perfectly.
If you’re considering making salted caramel brownies in the future, just heed my warning: don’t let the caramel faze you. You’re the boss, and you decide how long it cooks. And that’s that.
You can try out the brownie recipe here, the caramel recipe here, and if you’re making salted caramel brownies, make sure you sprinkle a bit of salt on the top.
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