These Fudgy Almond Flour Brownies with Chai Salted Caramel are the perfect intro to fall baking! The brownies are irresistibly fudgy, yet still tender and delicate. They are perfectly chocolatey, and the chai-spiced caramel drizzle makes them extra decadent! They are gluten and grain free, making them perfect for all types of dietary needs and preferences!
(This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. Thank you so so much for reading and supporting the brands I love!)
Although I’m not a “sweets person” by nature, I am always in the mood for a really good, fudge brownie. I don’t care about eating chocolate, cake, pie, ice cream, or any of it, really. Of course I have my cravings from time to time, but I can always go for brownies. Especially when they’re insanely fudgy, drizzled with a chai-spiced SALTED caramel, and sprinkled with flaky sea salt to boot. Plus, they’re gluten AND grain free, so literally anyone can enjoy these babies.
When I was first thinking about the kind of dessert recipe I wanted to make for this time of year, I wasn’t completely ready for pumpkin yet, and almost not quite ready for apples either. I’m always however, in the mood for chai! This chai salted caramel first made its appearance on this cake last year, and I can’t get enough of it. If you’ve never made homemade caramel, this is your chance. It’s so easy to make, and you’ll want to have this on hand for ALL of your cozy fall baked goods.
For the flour in this recipe, we’re using my very favorite almond flour from Bob’s Red Mill. When it comes to baking, I’ve pretty much exclusively used Bob’s products for the past 6+ years. When I first discovered it and started baking with it, I was blown away at the quality and the wide assortment of flours they offer. It’s just such a high quality product, and I can’t say enough good things about it!
I’m not personally gluten or grain free, but I do really love to experiment with alternative types of flours, because I really enjoy the different textures and tastes they can yield in a baked good. Almond flour is one of my faves, because it makes everything it touches delicate, moist, tender, and super flavorful.
Hence, the texture of these brownies is just that! Delicate, moist, tender, and ridiculously fudgy!
Sign. me. up.
Something I always do to my brownies and chocolate cakes, is to add espresso powder. It really heightens the chocolate flavor, and you wouldn’t even really know it’s there. But you’d notice it if it wasn’t in there! So don’t skip it!
The rest of the batter is super simple. All you need is:
- Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour (the best ever!)
- cocoa powder (make sure you use the good quality stuff!)
- espresso powder (secret weapon!)
- baking powder
- salt
- unsalted butter (so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe, plus we’re giving them a healthy drizzle of salted caramel and a healthy sprinkle of flaky salt to finish!)
- dark chocolate (make sure you use a great quality dark chocolate here – somewhere around 70% is great!)
- sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
Most of these ingredients are probably pantry staples for you too! There’s no mixer required either. Just a couple bowls, a whisk, and a rubber spatula is all you need!
As for the salted caramel, all you need is a little sugar, water, heavy cream, butter, vanilla, and chai spices. It comes together in less than 10 minutes, and you’ll want to have it on hand at all times! It keeps really beautifully at room temperature, or in the fridge, and you can always reheat it to get it all drizzle-able when you’re ready to use it again!
These brownies are thick, and my favorite way to enjoy them is with a thick layer of caramel on top. As you could’ve probably guessed. The thing about these, is that I’d recommend making them the day before you want to serve them. Same goes for the caramel!
The brownies are super delicate when they’re hot, due to the nature of the recipe being grain and gluten free. Almond flour is much more delicate than other flours when baked, so these need to be cooled ALL the way before you cut them. I mean ALL the way.
I’d recommend making them the night before, letting them cool in the pan on a cooling rack, and cutting them the next day, whenever you’re ready for them. They will be perfect. You can also make the caramel the night before, let it cool, and keep it in a sealed container on the counter! You might need to microwave it for a few seconds to loosen it up again the next day, so it’s all nice and drizzle-able.
These are exactly the kind of dessert I want to be eating in September, when you’re just starting to feel that little fall chill in the air at night, when you’re not quite ready for everything pumpkin yet. The chai caramel still gives you those cozy autumn vibes, without being too intense.
With back-to-school and September craziness, these brownies are exactly what you deserve.
Fudgy Almond Flour Brownies with Chai Salted Caramel
These Fudgy Almond Flour Brownies with Chai Salted Caramel are the perfect intro to fall baking! The brownies are irresistibly fudgy, yet still tender and delicate. They are perfectly chocolatey, and the chai-spiced caramel drizzle makes them extra decadent!
Ingredients
For the brownies
- 1 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour*
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- chai salted caramel for drizzling
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling
For the chai salted caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
For the brownies
Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 8x8 square baking dish with parchment and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine almond meal, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Be sure to break up any clumps of almond meal and cocoa powder. Set aside.
Melt butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, heating in 30 second increments, stirring in between. Mine took about 1½ minutes total. Let cool slightly. To the chocolate/butter mixture, add the sugar and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk again until smooth.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and spread out the top evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until edges are firm and center is mostly set. These brownies are very delicate when warm. Cool completely in the pan before cutting. I let mine cool overnight! Once the brownies have cooled, drizzle with desired amount of chai salted caramel, and a generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Cut into 12 brownies and serve!
For the chai salted caramel
Add the sugar and water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, but DO NOT stir! Swirl the pan on the stove if you need to get it moving around. Continue cooking, without stirring, until an amber caramel forms, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat, and slowly & carefully stir in the cream, and continue to stir until smooth. (Don't worry if it bubbles and looks crazy at first - just keep stirring!) Once the cream is incorporated, add the butter, vanilla, spices, and salt, and stir until combined and the butter is melted. Let cool. Caramel will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for a few weeks!
Recipe Notes
*This
*For the dark chocolate, I like to use something around 70% cacao. Use whatever your favorite dark chocolate bar is!
*These brownies need to be completely cooled in the pan before cutting - they are very delicate when warm. I like to let mine cool overnight.
*If you want to make these ahead of time, I'd make the brownies the night before, letting them cool in the pan on a cooling rack overnight. You can do the same for the caramel! Make the caramel sauce, let it cool, and keep it in a sealed container on the counter! You might need to microwave it for a few seconds to loosen it up again the next day, so it's all nice and drizzle-able. It will keep for a few weeks!
There may be an affiliate link(s) in this post, which means that if you click on a product link above and complete a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you SO much for reading!
OMG these look INSANELY rich! Dying to make!!
Thank you so much Kasey!! Hahah they are SO rich!