salted caramel brownies
When you were a little kid did you ever go to the state fair? Ride the ferris wheel, eat funnel cake, peek at the carnies, walk through the petting zoo and eat a slice of some award winning pie? I did. It was a homeschool field trip, cause I was, in fact, homeschooled.
I did school in my pjs, yo.
We went to the Virginia State Fair outside of Richmond and I spent the entire day dragging my slightly dizzy best friend, Katy, on every ride we could squeeze in before we buried our faces in caramel apples. And this gorgeous box of goodies brought me back to that day.
I just got my first Knoshbox and I get to give YOU one. Yes, YOU! Well, it could be you...
Knoshbox packs up a box of artisan food each month and ships it right to your doorstep. They are a new startup subscription based in Connecticut. It's basically having this great foodie friend who travels around the country taste testing and working with local producers, and then bringing the best of their finds right to your little kitchen. Opening this box was literally like Christmas in August. A sampling of gorgeous, gourmet foods all from local US producers and the theme this month... Country Summer Carnival! Just look at it!
Mouthwatering, huh? Bing Cherry Preserves, a Pearl Sugar Belgian Waffle, Organic Cotton Candy, Kettle Corn, and Sea Salt and Bourbon Vanilla Farmstead Goat Milk Caramels. Glory!
To win your own September Wine Trails Knoshbox, just leave a comment telling me what you would make with this box of goodies pictured above and LIKE Knoshbox on facebook! A winner will be chosen Monday, August 27 at 11:00pm EST. :)
The winner is... Comment #23, Barbara S! Congrats, Barbara. I hope you enjoy the September box as much as I enjoyed the August one. She would have baked up some chocolate cherry caramel cookies. (UM, YUM! Can I come over?)
Barbara, email your address to heathermish{at}gmail.com and we will get your box shipped out! Special thanks to the Knoshbox team for sponsoring the giveaway and to all of you for participating in my first giveaway! I loved reading your ideas.
As soon as I tasted those caramels, I knew what I would be baking. (I am also planning on ordering a bag for a few fall recipes.)
So, I scurried to my kitchen and made these gooey, gluten free, caramel laced brownies dusted with sea salt! Then, while they were baking, I may or may not have took that waffle, topped it with whipped cream and strawberries and pretended it was funnel cake while I gave Katy a ring.
Also, you should know that these are egg free and gluten free. I was gluten free until I saw that waffle...
Salted Caramel Brownies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour ( I used gf brown rice flour mix: To make a batch, mix 6 cups superfine brown rice flour, 3 cups tapioca starch, 1 1/2 cups potato starch, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 tablespoons xanthan gum.)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup organic sugar
1/3 cup grape seed or canola oil
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup applesauce with 1 1/2 teaspoons backing soda mixed in
1/2 dark chocolate chips
6 Sea Salt and Bourbon Vanilla Farmstead Goat Milk Caramels, cut into bits
Sea Salt
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 -30 minutes
Yields: 12 Brownies
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9X9 pan. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together until well blended. Add wet ingredients. Stir thoroughly. Add caramels.
3. Pour batter into greased pan and sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean.
Note: I added a little extra flour and less baking soda to my brownies cause I made them for a friend who likes cake-y brownies. The recipe above makes fudge-y brownies. Add an extra 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and only use 1 tsp baking soda for cake-y.
brownies, chocolate, giveaways, gluten free, sweets
Reader Comments (45)
I would make that imaginary funnel cake you are talking about! Hilarious!!
Bing cherry thumbprint cookies! I don't have a FB... Can I still win?
I would make these brownies for a little fall kick- off family night at the fire pit out back, under the stars. Maybe try making some bing cherry s'mores, give the cotton candy to the kids, because they would love me for it, and eat the kettle corn while the dog watches. What waffle? Seriously they must have left the waffle out of my box. What wrapper? huh?
So your mom forwarded me your blog-LOVE it! And since I too am "gluten" free-it makes it that more special! Your mom, being a "wonder woman" in the kitchen (yes, Gerrie has bragged many times over) just makes sense that it would be "passed down" hee hee! ;) So, after reading your post about the fair...I am seriously jealous! I grew up in Maine going every year to numerous fairs-eating way too much of everything-from fries to fried livers (yummy), funnel cakes to cotton candy and ice cream to fried oreos...yup...tasted almost everything there was...until we moved here (in 2008). LOVE being here...miss those memories! Missed the fair in Richmond (and now there isn't one??). UNTIL last year-we found the Peanut Festival in Suffolk! I was in "fair" heaven ;). Ok, so it wasn't like home...but it "filled" a void! And yes, I ate fried oreos, lots of peanuts & funnel cakes-and even got to listen to The Charlie Daniels play! We too, shall return there when it comes back...just not eat the same (sniffle, sniffle) stuff. All that to say-even if I don't win...please give me the address-I would LOVE to check out this Knoshbox website! Oh what joys food (& fellowship) bring! (FYI-I work for Boarshead-giving out FREE samples & conversation-it's the BOMB!!!) So, I too, am a foodie (wink, wink). Thanks for sharing!
Not gonna lie, I'd probably just tear through the box and eat every last thing! But if I must restrain myself and make something, I'd use the Bing Cherry Preserves in individual brie bites and melt the caramels to eat with apples. I would then consume the kettle corn, cotton candy and waffle, sharing a tiny bit with my husband. :0)
Oops! Got caught up in the "fair" moment & lost track of what I was supposed to be doing...writing what I'd do with the foodies. Probably make turtles with the caramels (and I'd even share with the hubby & kiddos) ;) I'd make a cream cheese dip/bing cherry preserve & gluten free crackers, give the waffle to my fam-split 3 ways, drizzle the popcorn with melted dark chocolate and toss, & let them wrestle for the yummy cotton candy...ok-thumb wrestle-ha ha!! And talk about memories of what it reminds us of-which woukd consist of "Maine", the "fair" and a nod of agreement from the other one...yup, gotta love boys/men :)
Honestly, not sure I'd make anything before I just plain ate it all, but if I could somehow exercise restraint, I'd probably do a variant on your brownies... fudgy, gooey brownies sound divine!
I want to make those brownies soooo bad!!
I as many would love to just eat as is. But I think I would melt caramels and drizzle over the Kettle Corn. The Bing Perserves would be awsome on a Shortcake Syle Biscuit......
If I won this giveaway, I would make bing cherry filled chocolate cupcakes with vanillabean buttercream and a salted-caramel drizzle. Yum!!
The cherry products really inspire me! I think I would make a dense, fudgy cupcake filled with the bing cherry preserves with a thin layer of buttercream frosting, topped with a tuft of that cotton candy!
I would make caramel corn brownies!!
I wouldn't make any one thing. I would taste each item, one by one, slowly experiencing, indulging in and enjoying the total YUM of each moment. XD
What would I make if I won? I'd make my husband very happy! That box is filled with all of his favorite things! =)
What would I make with this... hmm.. probably a mess as I dug in and ate everything....
I love baked Brie and those cherry preserves would be delicious on a wheel of Brie wrapped in puff pastry dough!
I would love to win this box, it looks delicious! I know one thing I could do is bake the Bing Cherry Preserves into some sweet bread to make a danish and melt some of the Goat Milk Caramels to drizzle on top.. But those brownies look great, so I might hold off on the drizzle.
I absolutely love that knoshbox! but I'm sorry to say that it wouldn't last five minutes with me :)
Honestly, I would have to try everything individually bc it all looks so delicious on its own! BUT if I had to make something my husband is a big fans of brownies, so I would definitely try the recipe you posted!
I see preserves and I immediately think Slovakian star cookies :)