Salted Almond Caramel Latte Brownies

It is absolutely no secret that I am a woman obsessed with coffee. I adore it in any and all forms be it ice cream, cookies, cake. The smell alone can pull me from the depths of any foul mood. As soon as that mahogany nectar meets my taste buds I have to stop myself from dancing around the room. A well made cup of coffee is one of my most favorite things in the world and when I find a place that does it well I develop a loyalty so fierce a rabid rottweiler can't pull it away from me.

I have talked about Coffee Emporium here at HTIC a few times, so you're well aware of my affection for the charming coffee shop. I have never had a bad experience there. In fact my mind is often blown away by how much better their lattes taste than other coffee chains. Coffee Emporium regularly offers special flavors that you'll be hard pressed to find elsewhere including chocolate covered cherry,
Aztec mocha, blackberry mocha (my absolute favorite) and salted almond caramel.

I had the latter flavor for the first time a few weeks ago, and I drank it so fast I nearly sucked the lid right off my cup. It had a delightful Crackerjack flavor that took me back to summers sitting by the pool or watching my brother's baseball games. My favorite part of Crackerjacks was always the nuts, so the added almond flavor in this latte was simply perfect.

I hadn't even finished the latte before I knew I wanted to turn it into a decadent dessert. I had been meaning to try my hand at caramel since a seriously disappointing incident a few months ago where I made FIVE (no...I'm not exaggerating) different batches of caramel that all failed miserably. Caramel shouldn't be this hard, right?

I have also been on a mission to find a homemade brownie recipe that isn't so rich. I like chocolate as much as the next person, but I really crave chewy brownies versus battery. I stumbled upon a recipe by Brown Eyed Baker that used a combination of butter and oil. I picked up some slivered almonds and coarse sea salt at the store and I was all set!

Let's start with the brownies. These brownies taste like their made from a boxed mix, which is a good thing. Although I would definitely recommend cutting the chocolate from 6 ounces to 3 ounces. My brownies were nice and chewy but were riddled with so much chocolate I got full after a few bites! Built in portion control I guess?

Now onto the caramel...HALLELUJAH! I finally managed to put my caramel demons to rest. I must have been out of my mind that one night, because caramel is a cinch to make. A little sugar, butter and heavy cream=a nice smoky, thick sauce that is just begging to be draped on top of these brownies.

Toast up the almonds and sprinkle with sea salt and get ready to lose yourself in another world. These brownies are not for the faint of heart. They require true dessert commitment. Grab a glass of milk and get ready to feel your eyelids droop as you drift into coffee coma.

Trust me, it's not a bad place to be :D

Salted Almond Caramel Latte Brownies 
HTIC Original, Inspired by Coffee Emporium and Brown Eyed Baker

Brownies
1/3 cup cocoa
1 T. espresso powder
1/2 cup plus 2 T. boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 T. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 t. vanilla extract
2.5 cups sugar
1.75 cups AP flour
3/4 t. salt
3 ounces chopped chocolate (if you can find a bar with espresso beans, it would work great here)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil. If you don't have foil, don't worry I didn't either...it just makes it easier to get the brownies out of the pan because they tend to stick. If you don't have foil just grease and flour the pan well.
2. Combine the cocoa, espresso powder and water in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate has melted. Whisk in butter and oil and don't be afraid if it looks a little odd. It probably will.
3. Add yolks, eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Whisk in sugar until combined. Gently fold in flour and salt and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate until just combined.
4. Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes or until edges have pulled slightly from pan. Set on wire rack and cool for at least 1.5 hours.

Caramel 
1 cup sugar
6 T. butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Heat sugar in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir gently until sugar has melted (may take 5-7 minutes). Once it is melted do not stir any more and wait until it begins to boil slightly.
2. Add butter and stir to melt. Once the butter has melted and the sugar is evenly dispersed through the mixture remove from heat.
3. Count to three and add the heavy cream. Don't be afraid if it bubbles, this is completely normal. Stir until uniform mixture. Let sit for a few minutes before transferring to container for storage. Store in the fridge to maintain thick texture.

To Assemble
1. Cut brownie.
2. Spread top with caramel.
3. Sprinkle with toasted almond slivers and sea salt. Enjoy!

What I'm Listening to Today
All This Time: OneRepublic-->such a sweet song
Layla (Unplugged): Eric Clapton-->My parents played this CD to death! I absolutely love it.
Bennie and the Jets: Elton John