Salted Caramel Brownie Pie! COVID Coping Comfort!

Here we are again, second weekend of lockdown, I have taken to marking the days in chalk on the walls so I don’t lose track… 🙂 I know a lot of you are going stir crazy, but it is temporary and by everyone doing their part, hopefully it will pass sooner rather than later. In the meantime, back to the COVID 19lbs! Comfort food is popping up all over social media and for good reason. This Salted Caramel Brownie Pie is what comfort food dreams are made of. Well, dreams do come true with this rich, moist, chocolaty, caramelly pie! Watch out COVID 19lbs, we are coming for you!

I have been working from home for almost three years, so I have been training for this! I think I would win in the quarantine lifestyle category. I am used to the unwashed hair, comfy clothes, no make-up way of life and I like it! I am not used to the eerie emptiness on the streets, the boarded-up storefronts and everything shut down. It is surreal, but necessary right now. Thankfully, I have dogs to get me out of the house for some fresh air. Thanks to social media for stepping up too! Sometimes it can be a real ugly place, but it sure is having its day in the sun now. Everyone sharing what their streaming, cooking, fitness instructors are instructing live on their IG pages, virtual happy hours, dance parties and concerts are popping up daily! All of these to keep us in this together and it’s great! We are physically apart but socially together! Yay technology!

Any who, comfort food, 19lbs, baking…. Salted Caramel Brownie Pie! This big bertha is all it’s cracked up to be. The crust is nice and tender, layers of the salted caramel, starting with a bottom layer that bakes into the bottom of the crust and seeps into the batter. Then the rich chocolaty brownie batter with more morsels of chocolate chips stirred in goes down. In the middle, more salted caramel, topped off with more brownie that is baked up to the most perfect brownie you ever laid your eyes and taste buds on! I couldn’t stop there, finished with a top layer of delicious salted caramel to bring this pie to epic levels. One bite and the outside world and all of its troubles will melt away…at least for a moment. And all we have right now are moments like these to appreciate.

First layer of caramel going down right into the par-baked crust. This forms a caramelly crusty bottom that is pure delight! Half the batter down, a little more caramel and then topped off with the rest of the batter.

Ready for the oven! 45 minutes later you have this beautiful big, enticing brownie pie! But wait, we aren’t done yet!

Finish the top of the pie with the rest of the salted caramel. Oh yeah!

Hope you are hungry, you will want to devour the whole pie!

Mmm, salted caramel….

So, ditch your diets, stay in your sweatpants, and opt for comfort in these times of uncertainty. Make this pie this weekend! I know you don’t have anything else to do! Enjoy the moments and eat the pie and drink the wine and stay positive and in!

Happy Weekening and COVID Comforting In!

Diane

Salted Caramel Brownie Pie!

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

2 hours 45 mins

 

Author: Diane

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• For the Salted Caramel:
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup goat's milk (can sub heavy cream)
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• For the Crust:
• Single 9" pie dough
• ¾ cup plus ⅔ AP flour
• 1 large egg beaten
• 1½ tsp. rice vinegar (can sub apple cider vinegar)
• ½ tsp. of salt
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 8 tbsp. grass-fed unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 3 tbsp. of ice water (plus 1 to 2 more if needed)
• For the Brownie:
• 1 cup cake flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ tsp. espresso powder
• ½ tsp. of salt
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 4 large eggs room temp.
• 1½ sticks unsalted butter
• ¼ cup brown rice syrup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Flaky sea salt for garnish

Instructions

1. For the Salted Caramel:
2. In a large heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat, add the sugar and stir constantly until it is melted and a deep amber, caramel color. Should take about 6 to 10 minutes. Don't walk away.
3. Carefully add the milk or cream while stirring, it will bubble up a lot, keep stirring for another minute or two. Remove from heat, add butter, salt and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Pour into heat proof jar and allow to sit at room temp to cool. Can be made up to 2 weeks ahead of time stored in the fridge.
4. For the Crust:
5. In the bowl of the food processor fitted with the s-blade add the dry ingredients and pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle the butter over the top of the dry ingredients and pulse about 20 to 30 times until there are pebbles of butter incorporated throughout the flour. Don't pulse too fine. Add the vinegar and beaten egg when the motor running, add the cold water one tablespoon at time until the dough just comes to together and forms a ball. Some loose crumbs are ok, you press back into the dough.
6. Dump onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press any loose crumbs in and wrap in the plastic wrap and press into about a 6 inch disk. Pop in the fridge for at least 2 hours to 3 days before rolling.
7. Par-bake the Crust:
8. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and grab your 9" pie plate. Pull the dough out of fridge, allow to sit at room temp for 10 to 15 minutes so it's easier to roll out. On a piece of parchment paper roll out the dough to about a 12 inch round. Carefully turn the pie dough over into the pie pan and remove the parchment paper. Press the dough evenly around the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Fold the dough under around the edges to make the crust. Pop in the freezer for 15 minutes.
9. Place parchment paper down over the chilled dough and fill with pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes then remove weights and parchment paper and cook an additional 5 minutes. All to cool on wire rack while you make the brownie batter.
10. For the Brownie Batter:
11. Drop oven to temp to 350 degrees.
12. In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the chopped chocolate and butter and cook until smooth and completely melted. Remove from heat and place in medium bowl and set aside.
13. In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. In a separate medium bowl add the eggs, the sugars and brown rice syrup. Whisk until smooth.
14. Next add the slightly cooled chocolate mixture, starting with a little at time, to the egg mixture whisking constantly until all of the chocolate is incorporated and smooth. Pour chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until fully combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
15. Assemble the Pie:
16. Place a pie collar around the crust of the pie. If you don't have one, make tin-foil ring to go over the edges.
17. Pour about ⅓ of a cup of the salted caramel into the bottom of par-baked crust. Next pour half of the brownie batter over the caramel. Drizzle another ¼ cup or so of the caramel over the top of the batter. Reserving about a ⅓ of cup of salted caramel. Pour the rest of the brownie batter in and gently smooth top with off-set spatula or knife. Pop in the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes rotating halfway through, until toothpick inserted comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Pull from oven and place on cooling rack. Let cool at room temp for 30 minutes, then pour the rest of the caramel over the top and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Allow to cool completely at room temp or another hour and half.
18. Serve warm. Store leftovers in air-tight container at room temp for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to 5 and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
19. Enjoy!

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