I got the recipe for the pretzel base of these brownies from a friend at work who's an amazing baker, and the brownie topping is my go-to brownie recipe - always delicious and very versatile; add whatever combination of chocolate pieces and nuts you want. If you like salted caramel you'll love these! They are totally worth the two step process, and a great twist on a classic.
Chocolate and Nut Brownies with a Salted Pretzel Base
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| Blitzed pretzels |
Ingredients:
Pretzel Base:
65g plain flour
150g salted pretzels
100g dark brown sugar
100g unsalted butter
125g golden syrup
Brownie Topping:
250g chocolate (a mixture of dark and milk, depending on
what you prefer)
250g unsalted butter
4 large eggs
175g dark Muscavado sugar
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| Pretzel base before baking |
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g plain flour
0.25tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder
200g chopped nuts (I used pecans and hazelnuts)
100g chopped chocolate (again; dark, milk or white
chocolate)
Pinch of salt
Oven at 180oC fan/190oC electric
Method:
2. In a pan over a medium heat, mix the butter sugar and syrup in a pan and stir until the butter has melted and everything is combined.
3. Add to the pretzels to the butter mix and mix together until combined.
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| Baked base |
4. Press the mix into a lined and greased baking tray and bake in the centre of a preheated oven at 180oC for 10-15 mins.
5. Whilst the base is baking make the brownies; heat the butter and 250g of chocolate over a bain marie until smooth.
6. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, Muscavado sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mix is pale and thick.
7. To the egg mix, add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, chopped nuts and chocolate and salt. Stir gently until smooth.
8. Once it’s cooled slightly, carefully add the melted butter and chocolate to the egg and flour mix, taking care not over mix or the chocolate will seize and go grainy.
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| Egg Mix |
9. Once the pretzel base is cooked, pour the brownie mix over the top and return to the oven for a further 20-25 minutes.
10. To test the brownie use a skewer or sharp knife; you want to take the brownies out of the oven when the skewer comes out slightly dirty still, so your brownies will still be fudgy once they’ve cooled.
11. Once baked leave to cool and set in the tin. Cut into 24 pieces and serve - they're great warm out of the oven with vanilla ice cream...
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| Ready for the oven! |
These will keep for 3 or 4 days in an airtight container,
but they definitely won’t hang around long enough for you to find that out!
Happy Baking!
The Baking Ginger xx
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| Pretzel Brownie Stack for Mum's Birthday :) |
