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You have never met a brownie like this before. Let me explain what these salted caramel mocha nutella brownies are all about…
Watch the How-To Video Here:
Salted Caramel Mocha + Nutella Brownies from Half Baked Harvest on Vimeo.
You may have had a certain Starbucks drink with a similar flavor, but let me just be real clear here, although these brownies were indeed inspired by that famous Salted Caramel Mocha drink (that come fall people go crazy for), these brownies I am showing you today are a million times better than that drink could ever be (that has GOT to be a run on sentence!).
I am sure of it.
Believe it or not, I have never actually had a Starbucks drink. Not even those famous Pumpkin spice lattes. I feel like this is a little crazy, since it seems like most people in the world live off of Starbucks, but I don’t drink coffee, so it has just never interested me. When I was middle school though, I always wanted the Christmas cups from Starbucks that I would see people carrying around. I thought they where the coolest. And not gonna lie, I still do, I am a sucker for anything involving Christmas. It’s bad.
And speaking of Christmas, these brownies would be PERFECT for the month of December. I know we are still a few months off, but I am just stating the fact. Also, how is it that Christmas is only 89 days a way (yep, I looked)?
That is just too soon. Way too soon. I am not ready for this year to be over, it went so fast. PLUS, I feel like the barn is never going to be done on time. We are still shooting for Thanksgiving, but oh my gosh there is just so much work to be done in the shortest amount of time. Too much work. Everyone is extra nervous about it. Me especially because, hello I am dying for it to be completed already. I am just praying we do not get any early snow storms that will set us back. As crazy as snow in October sounds, it happens here – often.
Here is the deal with these brownies. They are decadent, but who doesn’t love a little decadence come fall? I have all these apple and sweet cinnamony pumpkin deserts that I want to share with you guys. Think like two whole pages full of apple/pumpkin recipe ideas. But then the thought of brownies took over in my mind and there was no turning back… and really fruits can never make a dessert like chocolate can. So maybe apples + pumpkin next week? Originally, I wanted to share this recipe in December, but I bumped it it up a couple of months because, well I really just could not wait to make them.
And when I called my mom for advice on whether to make extra sweet chocolate brownies or apple pie she obviously said brownies. Chocolate always wins.
I am on a huge salted caramel kick (or a cinnamon kick or a pumpkin kick… it depends on the day). I really want to make everything with some kind of caramel. Caramel apples, caramel brownies and pretty much anything chocolate, but then covered in caramel. I didn’t even used to like caramel, especially caramel apples because they were too hard to eat (I swear I had braces forever!), but I have clearly gotten over this, as I am going caramel crazy over here.
Ok so, these Salted Caramel Mocha + Nutella Brownies are pretty simple. Meaning they do not take a whole lot of time to prepare AND if you are really desperate for a chocolate caramel fix, you can totally eat these while still warm. Preferably with a semi-giant scoop of vanilla ice cream (always).
I actually allowed mine to cool. I know, you probably do not believe me. Trust me, it was hard. So hard, but I wanted pretty brownie squares, so I waited. Err, well actually my patience got the better of me and I ended up sticking the whole pan in the freezer to get them to cool down faster. It worked like a charm, but you just cannot forget about them. Going back to a frozen pan of brownies is not fun. No fun at all.
I made a quick coffee caramel sauce that I spiked with Kahlua because, well, why not? It’s Friday, it’s officially fall and those are the only two excuses I need. Plus, Kahlua rules in my opinion. This is actually the sauce I used last year for this skillet cookie.
Don’t be afraid of making this caramel, it’s pretty basic. You can definitely use a store-bought caramel sauce, but this coffee caramel really plays up that whole mocha theme going on here. Plus, homemade is alway better if you can.
And finally, aren’t you excited this is only the BEGINNING of fall?
Salted Caramel Mocha + Nutella Brownies.
Ingredients
- 2 cup sticks unsalted butter, 1 OR 16 tablespoons
- 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons kahlua (optional, but not really!)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup nutella
Salted Coffee Caramel (or 1 1/2 cups store-bought salted caramel sauce)
- 1 cup black coffee
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, add 1/4 white sugar if you like a sweeter cookie
- 1 cup canned coconut milk, or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon Kahlua
- maldon salt, for sprinkling, flaked sea salt
Instructions
- To make the the caramel add the coffee and brown sugar in a medium sauce pot. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes or until the mixture has reduced to 1/3 cup. Slowly add the coconut milk and butter, whisk to combine. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and cook 5 minutes longer, until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. If using a candy thermometer do not let the sauce go above 180 degrees F. Remove from the heat and stir in the Kahlua and a pinch of salt, set aside.
- To make the brownies. Line an 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper or foil, letting the edges over hang from the pan so later you can easily lift the brownies out of the pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add the butter and milk chocolate to a medium size mixing bowl that is microwave safe. Microwave the butter and chocolate on 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth. This takes me about 1 minute and 30 seconds.
- To the melted chocolate mixture add the sugar and instant coffee, whisking until completely combined. Add the vanilla, Kahula and eggs and whisk until smooth. Stir in the cocoa powder, flour and salt until smooth and just combined, try not to over mix the batter. It will be thick. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Dollop teaspoon size amounts of Nutella over the batter. Drizzle with three-fourths of the caramel (you may need to warm the caramel over the stove if it has set). 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 + caramel.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the brownies are set on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Just before slicing, heat the remaining caramel over the stove. Cut the brownies into bars and then drizzle the warmed caramel over the brownies. Sprinkle with salt. EAT!
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.
It means there is so much more of this to come + boat loads of apples, pumpkins and caramel too!
So I was looking for a recipe that I could make for my chocolate-and-coffee-loving boyfriend. And I think we have a winner! These brownies sound incredible! Just two questions (I’m new to baking!):
1) When you say instant coffee, are you referring to the granules, or should I prepare the coffee first?
2) My boy really likes dark chocolate. Could I substitute it for the milk chocolate, or would that be too overwhelming since it already has cocoa powder?
Thanks so much for this recipe!
I use the granules (unprepared) and yes, sub whatever chocolate you love! Dark will be great!
Hope you love these!! 🙂
Looks great. Quick question, Is the coconut milk in the recipe the sweetened coconut milk or the unsweetened variety (like what’s used in Thai cooking).
Yum, these sound incredible. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
It’s Valentine’s Day and I’ll be making these for my one true love…ME!
Because as Rupaul says, if you can’t love yourself, how in the he** are you going to love anybody else?
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentines Day!! Thanks!
I was lead here by your picture. Whomever takes your pics, is a very distinctive photographer because when I saw this recipe I told my son “It looks like that messy BBQ pic/recipe I tried a few months ago.” Low and behold..I was right!
Miss T…you are young but you got it going ON!
I love your site, your recipes and you definitely have your own vision.
Lots of Love from DC!
Abra
WOW! Thank you so much for these kind words, I am flattered!! Truly, it means a lot! 🙂
your site is great your pics are great- just some advice, take more pics of the process, and less pictures of the finished product unless you get creative and stop taking them from all the same angles. SERIOUSLY IT’S SO BORING.
Love the sound of this recipe and I want to make it for my ladies’ group. However we have one person who is allergic to gluten. Any way to make these gluten free?
Hey Renee, I think that if you use a gluten free flour blend that should work great!
Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks so much! I will try that and let you know how they work out!
These brownies are amazing!!! I made them for a Super Bowl party this past weekend and brought the leftovers to work on Monday. They have universally been declared some of the best brownies ever consumed. I thank you (and curse you) for the recipe! The caramel sauce did take me significantly longer to make (took forever for the coffee/sugar mixture to reduce to 1/3 cup) but was worth the effort! So delicious!
SO happy you loved these! THANKS!
Hello- If I make these a night a head will they be okay or will the caramel that is in the batter not do well?
I was thinking I could make the brownies and save the caramel for tomorrow to heat and put on before the event I am attending.
Hey Ryan,
Making them ahead works great. Hope you love these and please let me know if you have any other questions.
Tieghan
Question–I plan on bringing these to a thanksgiving potluck. Can I pour the caramel over them beforehand, slice, and serve after a couple of hours, or do you think it’s best to reheat the caramel to pour over the bars right before I serve them?
I think either would be great! If you want them slightly warm, I would re-warm the caramel, but if you don’t care just pour the caramel over the brownies before hand. Both are very good! Hope you love the brownies!
Holy chocolate! Made these this week and EVERYONE who tried them couldn’t stop saying how delicious they were. Best brownie ever! Thanks for the recipe.
YEAH!!! So happy they are a hit! Thanks!
I am having alot of trouble getting the caramel to thicken – I have tried doubling boiling time and 2nd batch even tripling the time. I am not sure what I am doing wrong
🙁
Hey Sue, my guess is that you just need to let the caramel cool down a little and it will thicken as it cools. Did you allow coffee to reduce down to about 1/3 or 1/4 cup, then add the remaining ingredients? It’s hard to tell what could the problem not being there, did you taste it? Does it taste like caramel? Hope I can help you fix this, sorry for the trouble!
I had the same problem. I boiled it for about 30 min before I gave up. Since I didn’t have all day, I made the brownie batter meanwhile so the caramel never had a chance to cool. Hope that wasn’t a crucial step!
It’s no big deal as long as the tasted good!
Hi, I really dislike coffee, can I substitute cocoa do you think?? This recipe looks to die for
Hi! Just leave the instant coffee out, no substitutions needed for the brownies. For the caramel, you sub water, apple cider or bourbon. Hope you love these brownies and please let me know if you have any more questions.
Just made these…..omg my mouth is watering just thinking about them. Soooooooooooo good!!!!
YAY!! So excited you are loving them. Thank you!
Omg ! Intensely addictive – i gotta make them – however wish they were just there – lying on the kitchen counter for me devour! Brilliant photography too
I would love it sweets could just appear upon craving. So amazing!!
Thanks so much!