We're in love with our new local food artisan Zocalisa Chocolates. They've definitely cornered the market on cacao, but it's their Pecan Caramel Sauce that caught our eye and tastebuds! We couldn't wait to try it over ice cream and we loved the way it played off these dark chocolate brownies. We subbed vanilla extract for our Hazelnut Flavor (trust us, you need this in your pantry.) The hazelnut plays off the pecans in the sauce in the most delectable way.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients for the Brownies:
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups Cocoa powder
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbl Hazelnut Flavor
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups chocolate chips
Directions for the Brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9" x 13" pan with foil, leaving an overhang to serve as "handles" to lift the brownies from the pan.
Using a handheld for stand mixer, beat the eggs with the cocoa powder, Vanilla Bean Salt, baking powder and Hazelnut Flavor for four minutes.
Melt the butter and sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on low power in 30 second increments stirring between each session to completely melt the sugar into the butter. The mixture should look shiny and glossy. Dissolving the sugar into the butter is one of the factors in creating the appealing shiny, crackly crust on brownies.
Add the hot butter/sugar mixture to the egg/cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth. Add the flour and chips, stirring until smooth. Chocolate chips is the other factor in creating the crackly crust.
Bake the brownies for about 20-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked.
Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Lift the brownies from the pan, cut and serve with ice cream and Zocalisa Pecan Caramel Sauce.