Salted Caramel Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Bars. New Music From Ally Evenson.

While I can’t get help with all of your quarantine woes, I can share this delicious recipe to make your day a little bit better.

Salted Caramel Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Bars.

Mmmmmmm….Let that sink in for a minute.

This sweet treat tastes as good as it sounds and makes A LOT. Salty, sweet, chewy, buttery…yum.

Salted Caramel Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
14-ounce bag soft caramels, unwrapped (not caramel sauce)
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 13 x 9-inch pan with foil or parchment paper. Lightly grease the bottom and sides with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add the butter. Whisk constantly until brown bits appear on the bottom, about 4 minutes. (The butter will melt, foam, then become clear golden before finally starting to turn brown. Stir frequently and do not leave the butter unattended as it goes from perfect brown to burned very quickly.) Remove skillet from heat and let butter cool completely, about 20 minutes.

3. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt to the browned butter and stir until evenly combined.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips.

4. Scatter about 2/3 of the dough, in large pieces, across the bottom of the prepared pan. Press into as even a layer as possible.

5. Combine the unwrapped caramels and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in one minute increments, stirring in between, until the mixture is melted and smooth (Be careful not to burn).

6. Spread the warm caramel over the cookie dough in the pan. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired. Sprinkle teaspoon-size pieces of remaining cookie dough across the caramel.

7. Bake for about 25 minutes until the cookie dough is golden (The bars will be very gooey coming out of the oven but will set up as they cool). Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

“Not So Pretty”, from Detroit-based Ally Evenson’s debut EP, gut punched me the first time I heard it. So much sadness laid bare in that heavenly voice…the song is really the opposite of its title.

“I’m so sick from you
and I wish I could
feel just like I used to”

And, seriously, that someone as beautiful as this young woman could be made to feel bad about herself by another human makes me so sad.