These Gluten Free Toasted Pecan and Coconut Caramel Brownies are the ultimate labor of love, but worth every delicious step. Once out of the oven, your house filled with the aroma of melted chocolate and toasted coconut, they might even trump the smell of a holiday turkey. The homemade caramel topping is not to be missed, and I promise your friends will more than likely prefer these over the boxed variety. Stacked on a plate with some cold glasses of milk, and it’s go time.
Tip: These brownies will cut more easily if you can wait on them to cool, then leave them in the fridge for a bit (due to the incredible levels of carmel inside).
Gluten Free Toasted Pecan and Coconut Caramel Brownies
Servings
15 Servings
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Pinch salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large cold eggs
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend I used Bob’s Red Mill
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Make the Caramel Sauce:
- Put the sugar, corn syrup and water in a small saucepan. Cook the sugar mixture over medium heat without stirring. With a pastry brush and some water, rinse off any sugar crystals that may form on the sides of the pan.
- Gently swirl the pot as the sugar melts, but don’t stir (that could crystallize the sugar again). Just keep on swirling it, especially if one side of the pan starts to melt more quickly than the other.
- Once the caramel reaches a medium amber colour, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter. Whisk in the cream and salt.
- Set the caramel aside until the first layer of brownie batter has been baked. Keep at room temperature.
- Bake the Brownies:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Line an 8″ square pan with parchment paper or spray thoroughly with cooking spray.
- Combine butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth and well-combined (It won’t be completely smooth here, but that’s ok).
- Whisk in the vanilla, then whisk the eggs one at a time, stirring well until each egg is combined.
- When the batter looks thick, shiny and well-blended, switch to a wooden spoon, add the flour, and stir until you cannot see anymore flour. Beat vigorously for 40 strokes more with your spoon.
- Spread half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and pour the caramel sauce carefully over the baked batter. Spoon the remaining batter onto the caramel and spread it out as evenly as you can with a spatula, making sure to leave lots of undisturbed caramel. Bake the brownies for another 18 minutes, then take them out to let cool (you can insert a knife or toothpick here to make sure they are done; there should be no crumbs left on your utensil).
- Make the Pecan Coconut Topping:
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
- Top The Brownies:
- Spread the coconut topping evenly over the baked brownies.
- Set your oven to broil and make sure the rack is about 6 inches from the top of the oven.
- Return the brownie pan to the oven and broil the topping until it starts to bubble and turns a nice golden brown. Make sure to keep an eye on it. Mine took a few minutes; I just kept on opening the oven door to make sure it didn’t burn. Once the tops of the pecans turn dark brown pull them out, they can burn before you know it!
- Once they are ready, cool your brownies on a baking rack and then slice.
Hi Susan! Good question! In my experience, heavy cream is the most dependable when it comes to making caramel. However, after doing some research, I discovered that it seems to be possible to switch the heavy cream with milk. I believe you would just need to cook down the recipe for a bit longer (return the mixture back to the stove, and stir constantly on medium-low heat) to make sure it thickens. Once it cools it should also thicken some more. I hope this helps!
Thank you!!
Why oh why is there heavy cream? Most people need to stay away from cholesterol and saturated fats. What can I substitute?