While I have yet to crack the code as to why, it seems there are five million gluten-free brownie mixes in the world. And they’re all kind of the same. I’m guessing brownies are either the easiest thing to make gluten-free, or people just know that everyone loves brownies. Once you’ve mastered the brownie mix (which you did in like, third grade, right?), it’s super easy to dress up those sweet treats and call them your own. At least this was my justification when I went on a tear this weekend after feeling deprived of baked goods, and found one of the dozen gluten-free brownie mixes in my cabinet but realized it just wasn’t enough.
So I made my brownie mix fancy with caramel and sea salt! Yes, that means it’s awesome. But here’s the thing with caramel. If you just buy caramels and melt them, you may be in for some gluten. Probably not, but unless you buy gluten-free caramel sauce, it’s possible that caramel color has gluten in it. Unfair!
I looked into my cabinets and was able to gather together the three ingredients required to make my own damn caramel, which is shockingly easy as long as you stay glued to the stove top. Now I have a new skill, and a vat of gluten-free caramel sauce to use as I please. And I will. Oh, I will. Vanilla ice cream, I’ve got my eye on you.
Here’s how to make some sweet and salty brownies, gf style.
Gluten-Free Salted Caramel Brownies
Prep time: 7 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Gluten-free Brownie Mix
1 cup sugar
6 TB butter
1/2 cup milk (cream if you’re feeling decadent)
Sea salt
1. Find a box of gluten-free brownie mix. Make that sucker. But before you put it in the oven, do this.
2. Melt sugar on medium-high heat, constantly stirring.
3. As sugar completely melts, add butter and cook to a boil. Keep on stirring!
4. Remove mixture from heat and slowly add milk. Mixture will bubble up, so make sure you have a deep pot. Stir continuously until mixture thickens.
5. Pour over brownie mix in a swirly pattern.
6. Sprinkle chunks of sea salt lightly over brownies.
7. Bake as advised on that handy-dandy brownie mix box.
8. If needed, pour more caramel sauce over brownies after they cool, and serve.
Makes: 16 servings, or whatever it says on the box.
Gluten is my Bitch 
I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed the surplus of gf brownie recipes out there. I think the amount of gf brownies recipes trumps the amount of non-glutenfree brownie recipes, ironic since there are certainly less gf folks in existence.
Love the idea of salted carmel. Yumlicious.
I know. it’s like you can’t walk out the door without someone handing you a gluten-free brownie. I mean, I wish.
Whoa. Caramel and brownies? Uh oh. These are definitely getting made this week.
Cakes, cookies and brownies are more hindered by gluten than helped, since over-stirring can develop the gluten and make these items hard, tough, or unpleasantly chewy – hence low-protein cake flour. That said, I think the prevalence of brownie mixes in particular stems from the relatively low volume of flour in brownies – much of the bulk is made of sugar and cocoa powder, which lends them a rich, pleasantly chewy texture. Also, brownies aren’t heavily leavened (many recipes rely solely on eggs to serve that purpose), so the use of denser, possibly less absorbent flours is more helpful than hindering.
Or it could be like you said: everyone digs brownies. I sure do.
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