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Sweet, salty Caramel Mocha Nutella Brownies. Homemade fudgy, crinkly espresso brownies, baked, then layered with sweet Nutella and chunks of homemade salted caramel candies. Every last bite of these indulgent brownies is melt in your mouth delicious. Eat them warm and gooey, or let them cool and package them up for gifting this holiday season. They’re simple to make and guaranteed to be hit!
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It might only be Tuesday, BUT since it’s Halloween week, we’re keeping things sweet. Honestly, these brownies are just perfect. Everything from their taste, texture, and ease to make are so good.
Asher has officially declared them the best brownies yet. And she is a die-hard for the classic crinkle top brownie. She likes to say she doesn’t like caramel, but I’m quoting her word for word here… “these are really GOOD”.
These are indulgent, but come this time next week, we’ll have entered into the holiday season. And as I always say, anything goes when it’s the holidays. Especially over-the-top sweets.
The idea
This is a version of a brownie I made a while ago. I’m talking almost eight years ago. But it’s been a brownie that has been in the back of my mind for what feels like forever now.
I just love the thought of an extra crinkly and very fudgy espresso hinted brownie stuffed with sweet, creamy Nutella and salted caramel. It reminds me of a fancy latte or mug of hot chocolate.
Here are the details – to make the caramel
This caramel doesn’t need any special equipment. You just need four simple ingredients…sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt. Melt the sugar until it is amber in color, then add the butter and cream. Bring the caramel to a boil stirring until it has thickened and easily coats the back of your spoon. Next, add a pinch of sea salt.
Nothing fancy, but so delicious.
I like to pop the caramel into the freezer to quickly firm it up and then break it into squares.
Make the brownies
Melt the butter and chocolate together, then add sugar, Kahlua, vanilla, and instant espresso.
Next, whisk in the eggs. This is the KEY to getting that extra crinkly top. The eggs should have lots of bubbles on them before you stir them into the chocolate mix.
Then add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
And done!
Now layer
One layer of brownie batter, spoonfuls of Nutella, then finish with brownie batter. Now grab those pieces of caramel and stick them into the top of the brownies.
Bake until just set and the caramel is bubbling up in the brownie.
As the brownies bake, the caramel melts into the batter, almost disappearing. They give the brownies a delicious salty-sweet caramel flavor.
And the Nutella…it melts into pockets of deliciousness.
Add a little sea salt on top and…well, you really can’t beat these brownies. They’re perfect – gooey, sweet, very chocolatey, and extra special. Everything you need to make a real crowd pleaser!
Looking for other fall sweets? Here are my favorites:
Chai Latte Cupcakes with Caramel Brulée Frosting
Chocolate Covered Brown Butter Millionaire’s Bars
Lastly, if you make these Caramel Mocha Nutella Brownies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Caramel Mocha and Nutella Brownies
Ingredients
Caramel
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- flaky sea salt
Brownies
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, or milk chocolate, chips
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee/espresso
- 1 tablespoon Kahlúa
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Nutella
Instructions
- 1. To make the caramel. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In a large pot, cook the sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has melted and turns a golden caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the chunks of butter, whisking until combined. Then, stir in the cream. Return the pot to medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring until the caramel has thickened and easily coats the back of your spoon, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in a pinch of salt. Pour onto the parchment paper. Freeze in the freezer for 20 minutes to harden. 2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment paper.3. In the microwave, melt together the butter and 1 cup chocolate chips (stirring at 30-second intervals) until melted and smooth. Stir in the sugar, coffee powder, Kahlúa, and vanilla. 4. In a small bowl whisk the eggs for 1 minute until bubbly on top. Stir the eggs into the chocolate mix. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Evenly spread half the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Dollop spoonfuls of Nutella over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter over top, using a spoon to lightly smooth out the batter. It's ok if the batter does not cover up all the Nutella. 5. Grab the caramel piece from the freezer and break/cut into pieces. Stick the caramel into the brownies, you may not need all of the caramel. Bake 28-30 minutes or until the brownies are just set. Let cool…or cut and enjoy warm.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Made these on Halloween. SO. GOOD.
Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! ? xTieghan
Hi there! I have a batch of these brownies in the oven RIGHT NOW – can’t wait!
The caramel did not turn out quite right for me – you described breaking yours into pieces (by hand, I assume?) but mine was still gooey on the parchment-ed sheet pan after days in the freezer (I made it ahead of time). I did triple the caramel recipe you gave – does that change the amount of cream/butter that should be added? I may have accidentally used 6 oz of butter instead of 6 tbsp (2 tbsp tripled), but I don’t remember – I guess I’ll have to try it again! 😀 Did the caramel harden up properly for everyone else?
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe! Tripling the recipe could have made a difference in the caramel, I hope they turned out okay! xTieghan
Too gooey….too much going on. Don’t recommend this recipe for so many reasons. Being a pastry chef, this was disappointing.
Hey Marsha, I’m so sorry about that! Thank you for letting me know. xTieghan
Made these twice over the weekend. They are awesome! I made the 1 and a half times the recipe and put it in a 9*13 pan. I found that one batch of the caramel was easily enough for the whole 9 by 13. Last thing I would say is to cut them small because they are quite rich. I got 40 squares out of the pan and that was just the right size. Thanks for an awesome recipe. These are my new go to brownies!!
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan
My husband and I were excited for these brownies, but they just didn’t really work. The Nutella and caramel just become part of the brownie batter, producing a brownie that is overly greasy. I would have liked to see pockets of caramel produced, but that’s not possible with the recipe. We won’t be making them again, unfortunately.
Hey Jillian! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so sorry that this recipe didn’t turn out the way you hoped! Is there anything you did differently? xTieghan
So delicious and easy!!
Hey Danelle! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! Have a great week ? xTieghan
Yes! I just made some in a 9×12 pan.
Hope you loved this recipe! Thanks so much for trying it out 🙂 xTieghan
Would this recipe be ok in a larger 9×13 pan?
I doubled the recipe and used a 9×13 pan. Your baking time will be longer if you double the batch approx 45 minutes. Single batch in 9×13 will be super thin and cook much faster than 30 minutes. Amazing caramel recipe!
Hi there! That should work fine, the brownies just wont be quite as thick! xTieghan
I just baked these and I’m trying to keep my husband and mom away lol. I made them for my small group and I can’t wait to share them, they’re gonna be so loved!!
These are so rich and delicious! Best brownie recipe ever! My work went nuts for these treats! Definitely make these!!
Hey! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for trying it out and Happy Halloween! xTieghan
hey! does it matter if the heavy cream for the caramel is cold or at room temperature?
Either will work just fine! xTieghan
Eggless version?
Hi there! I would use chia or flax egg, or aquafaba (chick pea water whisked) xTieghan
Do these have a pronounced coffee flavor?
Hi there, I would say they definitely have a coffee flavor to them but you can omit the coffee if you’d like! xTieghan
These are delicious and melt in your mouth. So rich! Made them for my husband’s birthday and he was a huge fan.
Hey Anna! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan
OMG this recipe is DREAMY!
Miki x
https://www.littletasteofbeauty.com/
Thanks so much! xTieghan
Thanks for the receipe, I will try it next weekend.
BTW, could you please give us the measure in grams for the butter, cream, flour, sugar, cocoa ? I don’t really know what a “cup” means for the butter for instance 😉
Under the list of ingredients, you can click metric.
Tieghan, I can’t wait to make these this weekend!
Hi there! I just use a conversion tool online to convert things into grams! Hope this helps! xTieghan
Hey.. beautiful reciepe…Is there anyway I can replace khalua?
Hi there! I would just omit it completely! xTieghan