Brownie Caramel Slice...

Brownie, chocolate and caramel is one ridiculously good looking menage a trois. If you're a confident baker and you're looking to impress then give these guys a go. They're decadent, delicious and dressed to impress...

Start by mixing a batch of brownies, the fudge kind works better than the cake variety as it is less likely to dry out. Include any extra additives like nuts or chocolate at this stage to improve and personalise the recipe.

Bake the brownie mixture in a moderate oven until the centre has only just set (approximately 20-30 minutes) and let it rest out of the oven while you prepare the caramel. This will dry out the top of the brownie base and form a crust for the caramel to settle on.

In a saucepan combine 1 tin (395g) of sweetened condensed milk, 1 heaped tablespoon of golden syrup and 60g of salted butter. Dissolve over a medium heat, constantly stirring for about 8 minutes until all ingredients are combined.

Gently pour this caramel mixture over the brownie base and put back into the oven for about 10 minutes, watching carefully, to let the caramel thicken and caramelize.

Do not be alarmed if it comes out looking like lasagne. The caramel should be blistered and browned just like melted cheese on toast :)

Before removing the slice from the baking tin, cover the top with melted chocolate to disguise any imperfections and leave to set in the fridge.

You will be hailed as the match-maker baker and certified brownie baking king FOREVER!

aka It's ridiculously amazing and stupendously good.

Caramel centres...

Almost anything can instantly be transformed from average to A-mazing with the help of gooey caramel, am I right? That is why I keep a can of Nestle's caramel 'top and fill' in the cupboard for baking emergency's. When asked to deliver the 'baked' goods at work recently, I decided plain old chocolate cupcakes just wouldn't cut it! So I jazzed it up a little...

Step 1: Mix a batch of chocolate cake mix.

Step 2: Transfer 1 tablespoon of mixture into each patty case.

Step 3: Spoon a teaspoon of caramel filling into the centre of each patty case (or as in this case add a few chocolate drops too! You can never have enough chocolate).

Step 4: Transfer another tablespoon of cake mixture over the top.

Step 5: Bake in a moderate oven for about 15-20 minutes until the top of each cupcake bounces back when you press it lightly.

Note: Be careful not to get too excited and fill each patty case more than 2/3 of it's capacity. This will only cause the cupcakes to spill over the edges and increase cooking time, which can cause the chocolate/caramel filling to dissolve into the cake mix.