I’m sick. I sound like a seal. Crossed with a man. Crossed with a teenage kid who’s voice is breaking. It’s so hot.
My head feels groggy, my nose is stuffy and I have the sexiest seal cough ever.
What are you like when you are sick? Do you take the day off work or school? Do you stay home in bed? Or on the couch, in your pyjamas, surrounded by tissues? Do you force your housemate/friend/boyfriend/mother/husband to make you chicken soup? Do you watch Sex and the City re-runs?
Well, all of that would be normal.
But that’s not what I do. I sunbake. And go out and drink apple martinis. And go to class and annoy everyone with my seal cough.
And when I do stay at home, instead of planting my behind firmly on the couch and getting some rest, I bake caramel Mars Bar brownies.
These babies have a layer of my favourite cocoa brownies. Then that’s topped with a thick layer of gooey, chewy caramel. And then the whole thing is studded with Mars Bars.
Yes, Mars Bars.
They are yum. And they’re the perfect sickness cure too. Because at least while I’m stuffing my face with these, no one has to be succumbed to my horrid teenage boy voice. Win.
- FOR THE BROWNIE BASE
- 150g unsalted butter, cubed (5.4 oz)
- 1¼ cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup plain flour
- 8 fun size Mars Bars, cut into quarters
- FOR THE CARAMEL TOPPING
- 220g salted butter (1 cup)
- 2 x 397g (14oz) cans condensed milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 fun size Mars Bars, quartered
- For the brownie base, preheat the oven to 170 C (325 F) and grease and line an 8×8 pan with baking paper.
- Put the unsalted butter, sugar, cocoa, salt and vanilla in a heatproof bowl and place it over a pot of simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water.
- Stir every so often, until the butter is melted and the mixture combined.
- Remove the bowl from the heat. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon or spatula between each addition.
- Add the flour and mix it in until it clears. Then beat the mixture vigorously for 40 strokes. Stir in the chopped Mars Bars.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick inserted has moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- To make the caramel, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat.
- Add the sugar and the condensed milk.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly so it does not catch and burn. This will take some time.
- Once the mixture has come to the boil, cook for a further 5 - 7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and changes colour slightly.
- Pour half the caramel mixture over the cooled brownie base. Top with the chopped Mars Bars. Pour the remaining caramel over the top and smooth out the surface with a spatula.
- Allow to cool completely at room temperature before cutting. Makes 25 squares.
Brownie adapted from Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert.
Caramel adapted from Roxana’s Home Baking.