Turtle Brownies

One of the first jobs I ever had was working at a local ice cream shop. It was the best job to have since I got to eat ice cream all day long. The even better part was all the different ice cream concoctions I was able to create in the 4 years I worked there. By far the best was the turtle sundae. Ice cream, hot fudge, caramel and salty pecans. Oh heaven.
So when I had a particularly rough day at work the other day, I decided that nothing would be better than a big 'ole turtle brownie. Too bad my rough day followed me into the kitchen where I dropped the bowl of hot melted chocolate and it shattered, sending glass and liquid chocolate everywhere. Not so good. That side tracked my brownie making my a good half hour, so by the time the brownies were finished, it was late and I had no patience to wait for them to cool.

That's why it is so gooey looking in the photo. The brownie was screaming hot out of the oven and so soft, it almost spread out on the plate. But with a cold glass of milk, it was oh so worth it.


Ingredients:
3/4 cup plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 jar caramel topping
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
~Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

~Melt chocolates and butter in the microwave for 90 seconds or until melted, stirring every 30 second to make sure the chocolate doesn't burn. Cool to lukewarm, then stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition until mixture is glossy and smooth. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.

~Spread batter evenly in baking pan (I used an 8x8) and bake at 350 in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

~Combine the caramel sauce and the 1/2 flour in a small bowl and stir to combine

~Pour the caramel sauce over the brownies and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

~Remove the brownies from the oven and sprinkle the pecans and chocolate chips over the top. Allow to cool completely before serving.

recipe by: The Good Wife