Salted Caramel Flourless Fudge Brownies

During my trip to Washington D.C. I stopped in at Dean and Deluca. BIG mistake. Have you ever watched Julie and Julia? If not, rent it immediately. If you have then you know the scene where she says she stopped in there and spent "half her take home pay".  After perusing the well-stocked shelves, I know this was not at all an exxageration.   Shopping there is worse than taking me to a clothing store. If you have never had the privilege of shopping at Dean and Deluca it is like a food lover's dream come true. A mecca shopping experience overloading your foodie senses.

Let me take you on a little tour...  When you first walk in you are greeted with a glass display case filled with artisanal truffles with interesting combinations like honey, ginger, and lavender. From there you can buy locally made breads, cheeses, and pastries. Along the walls are exceptional products from a rainbow of icing sugars to hard to come by salts.  I had to find my self-restraint.  Ok I gave in a little who am I kidding? It's Dean and Deluca. It's a good thing that is not around the corner from me everyday.  What I did splurge on was some...

Fleur de sel ($13 for this tiny little bag)... Well worth it in my opinion.

and a jar of Fran's caramel sauce.  Forget the spoon, ladies. Dive in with two fingers. No one is looking I promise.

My friend of course simply shook her head at me in disbelief that anyone would spend thirty dollars on salt and caramel.  Hey I am on vacation people!  What I had in my mind when purchasing these two lovely souvenirs was these...salted caramel flourless fudge brownies. Yum, yum, and yum! Just look at that crackly top...perfection in brownie form.

 I knew when I came across this flourless fudge brownie recipe at Yammie's Gluten Freedom blog I wanted to add caramel and sea salt..that much I knew. I also knew that I really didn't feel like making my own caramel for this recipe.  OK yea fleur de sel may be out of your price range. Any sea salt will do. You definitely can also make your own caramel. It would save you a few bucks. Feel free. I on the other hand still wanted to catch this week's episode of Sean Lowe...err I mean the Bachelor.

These brownies make me wonder why flour ever was invited to the brownie party in the first place. They are ooey, gooey, fudgy bites of wonderfulness. Even if you are a person who walks around with an "I heart flour" t-shirt on, trust me make these. You will be donating that shirt to good will in no time.

Flourless Fudge Brownies
Slightly adapted from Yammie's Gluten Freedom
Print this recipe!


* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil
* 4 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 1 1/2 cup cocoa powder
* 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup caramel sauce
* 1/4 tsp. fleur de sel (or another kind of sea salt)

Please note: I sprayed my pan with a cooking spray only. These guys were definitely tricky to get out! I suggest lining your pan with parchment paper and saving yourself the struggle in the end!Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Combine the sugars and oil and beat until well combined. Add in the eggs and whisk together. Mix the vanilla and espresso powder together until the coffee powder is dissolved and add to the egg/sugar/oil mixture. Beat for about two minutes. Stir together the cocoa and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and blend until smooth. Swirl in your caramel and sprinkle with salt. Pour into prepared pan and bake about 25 minutes.