Gluten-Free Brownies with Peanut Studded Caramel Sauce

Just the word "brownie" makes me want to jump up and down like a little girl every time that I hear it! Here on B&B we have made every type of brownie from Pumpkin-Marshmallow Swirl Brownies to S'more Brownies...and I shamelessly have eaten every last one of them, but the brownies that I am sharing with you today are by far my favorite. Imagine if a Snickers bar and a brownie got together and had a love child, these luscious brownies would be it! We enjoyed these brownies with a scoop of vanilla coconut ice cream and a drizzle of warm homemade caramel sauce. No worries if you don't know how to make homemade caramel sauce, I will post that recipe for you next week.

Gluten-Free Brownies Drenched in a Peanut Studded Caramel Sauce
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Caramel-Peanut Topped Chocolate Cake
For the brownies
1 box of Better Batter G-Free Fudge Brownie Mix
3 eggs
¼ cup of water
½ cup canola oil

For the topping
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
1 ½ Tbsp. light corn syrup
⅔ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup salted peanuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F for metal pans or 325°F for glass dishes. Spray the bottom of a 9" x 9" pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, allowing the edges to hang over the sides of the pan. These will be the handles that will allow you to remove your brownies from the pan later. Lightly spray the bottom of the parchment paper with cooking spray, do not spray the sides.

Stir together the brownie mix, eggs, water, and oil in a large bowl until well blended. Spread into the greased pan and bake for 34-37 minutes until a toothpick inserted about an inch from the edge of the pan comes out clean. It is normal for the center of the brownies to be jiggly at this point, set the pan aside to cool completely while you make the topping.

Put the sugar, water, and corn syrup into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir until combined and then place the pan over medium-high heat. Heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns a deep amber color, between 5-10 minutes. As the sugar is caramelizing you can wipe down any splatters from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. To test the color of the caramel, drop a small amount onto a white plate. The lighter the shade of the caramel the less flavor it will have so be sure that it is nice and dark.

When the caramel has reached the desired color lower the heat a bit and add the cream and butter. *IMPORTANT NOTE: The caramel will splatter and bubble up when you add the cream and butter. Be sure to stand back and allow the splatters to calm down before getting near the pan again. When the spatters have calmed stir the caramel to dissolve any lumps that have formed. Transfer the caramel to a 1 quart heatproof bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Carefully, measure out a ½ cup of caramel and place it into a glass canning jar or bowl. *This caramel is extra and we will use it later in the recipe for caramel sauce. Allow the caramel in this container to come to room temperature than you can store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the caramel sauce. Stir the peanuts into the remaining caramel and pour this mixture over the pan of cooled brownies. Allow the caramel to cool and the topping to set before using the parchment paper handles to remove the brownies from the pan. Serve immediately, these brownies will keep for a few days if wrapped with plastic wrap. Just be sure to place toothpicks in the top of the brownies so that the plastic wrap is tented to prevent the caramel from sticking to it.

We are happy to have shared this recipe at the Gluten-Free Friday's link up party hosted by Vegetarian Mamma! Hop on over to find more great gf recipes.