Caramel Cornflake Brownies

Close-up of brownies topped with a layer of caramel covered cornflakes.

4.67 from 3 votes

Caramel cornflake brownies are an incredibly indulgent and entirely different way to take your brownie habit. These fudgy brownies come topped with a layer of chewy cornflakes wrapped up in sticky caramel. Sheer heaven.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Worldwide

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 403kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Equipment

1 x 20cm (8-inch) deep-sided square baking tin

Ingredients

For the cornflake layer

150 g Cornflakes
½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon Mixed spice or pumpkin or chai spice
300 g Caster sugar
100 g Butter
200 ml Double cream
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
½ Teaspoon Sea salt flakes

For the brownie layer

170 g Dark chocolate with 70% cocoa saolids
120 g Butter
110 g Dark muscovado sugar
100 g Caster sugar
2 Eggs large, free-range
2 Egg yolks
85 g Plain flour all-purpose
30 g Cocoa powder
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Prepare the Cornflakes

Preheat your oven to 140C/ 280F.
Put the cornflakes onto a baking sheet, crush lightly with your hands then mix the baking spices in. Bake for 10 minutes then set them aside.

Make the brownies

Raise the oven temperature to 180C/ 350F and grease & line a deep-sided 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin with baking parchment.
Melt the butter and chocolate either over a bain-Marie or in short 30-second bursts in a microwave on medium power. Stir to combine.
Add the sugars & salt and beat in with a balloon whisk.
Beat in the eggs & egg yolks then beat in the salt & vanilla extract.
Sieve the flour and cocoa into the bowl and whisk in until just smooth.
Pour the batter into a prepared tin and bake for approximately 20 minutes (make the caramel while it bakes).
Test your brownie with a toothpick – if raw batter is evident on the stick continue to bake for another 2-3 minutes and test again. Once is is baked sufficiently, remove the pan from the oven.

Make the caramel cornflake topping

Meanwhile, put the sugar in a flat layer in a medium pan and place it over a medium heat until it dissolves and turns deep amber in colour. Do not stir the sugar, but do turn the pan every so often to ensure that the caramel cooks evenly.
Stir in the butter and cream. It may spit and sizzle, so beware. If it turns lumpy place the pan over a low heat and stir until smooth. Mix in the salt and vanilla extract.
Tip the baked cornflakes into the pan and mix until they are thoroughly coated in caramel.
Spoon the cornflakes over the top of the brownies whilst they are still hot. Press down lightly then leave to cool completely. When cold, cover the tin and leave to set for at least 6 hours then cut into squares.

Notes

Don’t skip crushing the brownies as they will stick together better.
Also it’s essential to bake the cornflakes to help keep them fresh once they are covered in caramel. If you do not bake them your cornflake topping may end up feeling a little stale.
Use the correct size tin. In this case a 2-cm (8-inch) square tin.
Always weigh your ingredients accurately. The best way to do this is to use digital scales and measure in grams. I do not give cup measurements because they are wildly inaccurate.
Don’t overbake your brownies. As a guide, 20 minutes should suffice for the bake time, but test around the 18-minute mark to be on the safe side.
As all ovens vary, don’t be afraid to bake for a couple more minutes if, after testing, you feel they need slightly longer.
Keep a close eye on your caramel as it cooks. It is easy to burn it.
Keep the heat at medium as the caramel cooks. Don’t be tempted to raise the temperature to cook it more quickly as it’s likely the caramel will burn.
You can easily turn the recipe into salted caramel cornflake brownies by stirring ½ – 1 teaspoon of sea salt into the caramel once it has cooked.
Likewise, a handful of chopped pecan nuts or almonds stirred into the caramel would work nicely too.

Storage Instructions

These bars are best stored at room temperature for up to three days. Wrap them in foil and store them in an airtight tin.

I do not recommend freezing these cornflake brownies as the texture of the cereal is adversely affected in the process.

Nutrition