Whisky Chocolate Brownies with Salted Whisky Caramel; velvety dark chocolate brownies drizzled with buttery salted caramel and spiked with Scotch whisky.
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Chocolate and whisky have long been an underrated pairing.
Bold flavours don’t always play well together, but under the right circumstances they can work wonders on the palate. Think a glass of merlot with a rare steak or sticky maple syrup on crispy bacon.
This recipe for Whisky Chocolate Brownies with Salted Whisky Caramel combines big tastes and gentle textures to create a dreamy dessert.
Alcohol in a sweet treat can be divisive (see trifle or Christmas pudding) but that doesn’t mean sceptics can’t be won over. Everyone to whom I offered one of these Whisky Chocolate Brownies raised at least one eyebrow before tasting. Spirits in a brownie?? Yes. Oh yes.
However, after drizzling their share with the buttery boozy caramel and taking a bite, everyone not only understood but agreed. Rich dark chocolate, powerful aged whisky, and sticky sweet salted caramel are definitely good friends.
The classic velvet-smooth Maverick Baking brownie, with its ever-so-slightly crisp top, makes the perfect base. With a measure (or two) of Scotch thrown in, and a generous dollop of homemade caramel sauce on top, this might be the most luxurious dessert you’ve had in a long time!
The most important ingredient, as is always the case in chocolate-heavy desserts, is good chocolate. If you ever want to level-up your baking without any extra effort, use good chocolate!
Thanks to the lovely team at Willie’s Cacao, I used some of their fabulous cooking chocolate in this recipe.
In these brownies I used their 70% dark Chulucanas cooking chocolate drops. The chocolate has a rich, tangy, and almost fruity flavour that becomes creamy as it melts. You’ll find they come in handy resealable 1kg bags, and can be used for all kinds of recipes.
I’ve loved eating chocolate from Willie’s Cacao for years now. They are frontrunners of the UK craft chocolate market, ensuring ethical environmental and labour practices in their bean-to-bar process. It’s chocolate you can truly feel good about snacking on or baking with, and it’s worlds apart from the nasty bitter dark chocolate you’ll often find in supermarkets.
If you’d like to try some of their cooking chocolate for yourself, you can find it here.
Similarly, it doesn’t hurt to treat yourself to a good whisky for this recipe. This is not only because it’ll improve your brownies, but because you’ll have most of a bottle left to drink afterwards too! Thanks to these bold flavours being so dominant, you can keep the budget low for the other ingredients. Similarly, as long as you have some bowls, a whisk, a spoon, and a baking tin to hand, you won’t need any other fancy equipment for these Whisky Chocolate Brownies.
I really hope you’ll enjoy these Whisky Chocolate Brownies as much as we have, and thanks as always for stopping by.
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To make these Whisky Chocolate Brownies, simply follow the recipe below!
Whisky Chocolate Brownies with Salted Whisky Caramel
Ingredients
For the whisky chocolate brownies:
- 200g (7 oz) dark chocolate, at least 60% cocoa solids
- 165g (11 tbsp) butter
- 2 large eggs
- 250g (1 ¼ cups) caster sugar or soft brown sugar
- 75ml (5 tbsp) Scotch whisky
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Good pinch of salt
- 125g (1 cup) plain flour
For the salted whisky caramel:
- 200g (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 80ml (⅓ cup) water
- 100g (6 ½ tbsp) unsalted butter, cubed
- 100ml (6 ½ tbsp) double cream
- 50ml Scotch whisky (3 tbsp)
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
For the whisky chocolate brownies:
- Preheat your oven – 160°C / 140°C fan / 325°F / gas mark 3.
- Grease and line a tin to bake the brownies in, both 20 x 20cm (8 x 8in) or 20 x 30cm (8 x 12in) tins have worked well for me.
- Chop up your butter and chocolate and melt together gently in a heatproof bowl either in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water until smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, whisky, vanilla, and salt until just combined.
- Once melted and not too hot, pour the butter/chocolate mixture into the bowl of egg mixture and whisk to incorporate.
- Tip in the flour and gently fold together with a spoon or spatula until just combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35-45 minutes until the brownies are no longer wobbly in the middle when the tin is shaken.
- Allow to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing if you can, but ideally until COMPLETELY cold.
For the salted whisky caramel:
- In a small stainless steel saucepan, stir together the sugar and water until the sugar has just dissolved. Once dissolved, DO NOT stir again as the caramel may crystallise!
- Set the pan over a medium heat until it begins to bubble.
- Allow to bubble until the mixture turns a deep golden amber colour then remove from the heat.
- Whisk the butter into the pan of caramel until fully melted. Be careful as it might begin to bubble and splutter!
- Whisk the cream, whisky, and salt into the pan until combined into a smooth golden sauce.
- Pour the caramel into a heatproof container and allow to cool for at least 45 minutes.
- Served the sliced, cooled, whisky chocolate brownies with a generous drizzle or dollop of the salted whisky caramel.
- Enjoy!
BE A MAVERICK: why not add some chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter before baking for extra taste and texture?
These Whisky Chocolate Brownies with Salted Whisky Caramel will keep well in an airtight container for up to 5 days but are best enjoyed fresh!
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