planning ahead...it's still a loving way to share

why not freeze some dessert for Valentines Day and take it out-zap it or pop in the oven for a short time and it's like fresh baked. These freeze great and taste like you spent hours even though you don't. Perfect for any occasion yet since we're being flooded with Valentines Day ideas...go for it!

Delightfully Chocolate Caramel brownies

These are a delicious blend of textures and flavors that are rich yet not too sweet. Pair them with a variety of fruit and teas, coffee or wine.

Preheat oven to 325° and prepare the pan by spraying it lightly and overlapping parchment paper going in both direction. It will make it so the brownies lift out easily when they’re done cooking and the parchment lines the pan as you press the sided of it into the edges of the pan. Prepare either two mini-muffin tins lightly spray and place muffin tin liners (for brownie bites) or prepare a 8”sq pan.

Caramel center

Melt about 1 1/3 cups of caramels and mix in aprox. 1 Tbs strong, smooth coffee like Columbian.

Right before you need it, pour it into a parchment paper cone or something that you can work quickly to place the caramel into the brownie batter or finished brownie bite.

Brownie batter

10 Tbs unsalted butter

1 ¼ c sugar (I made it with half coconut crystals half white sugar)

¾ cup plus 2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp pure vanilla

2 cold large eggs

½ cup tapioca flour

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Combine the first four ingredients in the top of a double boiler pan. Stir occasionally so the ingredients get warm to touch as they melt and get mixed together. The texture stays granular so don’t worry, it’s ok because it gets smooth and rich with the next step. After they melt and are really warm, remove and let sit for about 3 minutes depending upon how the batter is. You don’t want it to cook the egg when the next set of ingredients get added.

Add each of the remaining ingredients until well combined, without over mixing. Mixing makes brownies tough even if they are gluten free.

Bake for about 15 minutes for brownie bites and between 20-25 for brownies *

(until the toothpick is almost clean)

*For the brownie: after about 10 minutes of the bake time squirt about ¾ tsp of caramel into the center of what will become the center of the brownie serving after they’re cut. This will be about 4-5 squirts of caramel across for four to five small brownies.

For brownie bites: after they’re cooled less than five minutes, press the point of the parchment paper cone into the center of the top of the brownie and then squirt. It will sit on the top mostly and that’s ok.

Place a chocolate covered nut or coffee bean into the caramel spot and then sprinkle chocolate covered cocoa nibs around it. You want them to stick to the caramel as it cools so you need to do this right after they come out of the oven

If your decorations are falling off still you can thin the caramel a little more with coffee and drizzle over the top of the brownies or brownie bites.

Cut small brownies so they’re bite size and enjoy!