Salted Caramel Brownie Bites
Homemade fudgy brownie bites filled with an easy two-ingredient caramel filling and topped with sea salt. These Salted Caramel Brownie Bites are the perfect mini dessert!
Have you ever tried brownie bites?! They’re basically a brownie in bite-sized form, but they make such a cute and fun dessert. I’ve had some before at potlucks and they’re always the first dessert I choose because they’re so easy to grab and the perfect size.
This past weekend I couldn’t get the idea out of my head for making some of these brownie bites, but I felt like they just needed something extra. Something a little like… caramel and sea salt! You guys. These are so good.
Plus, the sea salt adds a pretty touch to the tops of these little bites too. You can easily just leave it off, but I prefer to add just a pinch to each one!
Ingredients For This Recipe
These salted caramel brownie bites come together with minimal ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter if you can, but salted butter will be fine too. If using salted butter, then I recommend reducing the salt down to just a tiny pinch in the brownie batter.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the mini brownie bites.
- Eggs: Provides structure and stability to the brownies.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Make sure to spoon and level the flour when measuring it so you don’t end up with dense brownies.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Makes these brownies super rich and chocolatey.
- Salt: Balances out the sweetness of the batter and enhances the cocoa flavor.
- Caramel candies: A soft caramel candy is best. Kraft soft caramel candies are a really good option.
- Heavy cream: Gets mixed with the caramel candies to prevent the filling from becoming too hard. If you don’t have any heavy cream or heavy whipping cream you may replace it with milk.
How to Make Salted Caramel Brownie Bites
To make the brownie batter, you’ll start by whisking together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Then, mix in the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt. I recommend sifting in the dry ingredients to remove any lumps from your brownie batter too.
Next, divide the batter between 24 greased mini muffin cavities and bake until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. As soon as the brownie bites come out of the oven, press the centers down using a measuring teaspoon and set them aside to cool completely.
To make the caramel filling, microwave the unwrapped caramels and heavy cream until smooth. Fill each brownie bite with the caramel, then let set before eating. I highly recommend sprinkling each one with just a little bit of sea salt right before serving.
FAQ’s
Can I Prep These in Advance?
You can bake the brownie bites 1 to 2 days in advance. I recommend storing them in an airtight container at room temperature. On the day you plan on serving them, make the caramel filling and fill the brownie bites.
Can I Freeze Brownie Bites?
I’ve never frozen these salted caramel brownie bites with the caramel filling before. I typically bake the mini brownies, freeze them, then thaw and fill them with caramel the day I plan on serving them.
Baking Tips
- To get that perfect spot in the center for the caramel filling, I use the bottom of a measuring teaspoon and press it down firmly. That way, you can use that same teaspoon to measure out the exact amount of caramel you need for each bite.
- The sprinkle of sea salt on top of the brownies is optional, but highly recommended.
- I’ve only made this recipe using soft caramels. I don’t think hard caramel candies would yield the same results.
- Make sure to grease your mini muffin pan very generously with nonstick cooking spray so the brownies don’t stick to the pan.
More Homemade Brownie Recipes to Try!
- Cheesecake Brownies
- Classic Homemade Brownies
- Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
- Fudgy Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
- Brownie Ice Cream Pie
Salted Caramel Brownie Bites
Ingredients
For the brownie bites:
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the caramel filling:
- 20 soft caramel candies , unwrapped
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) heavy cream
Optional:
- Sea salt for topping
Instructions
To make the brownie bites:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 24-count mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter and granulated sugar. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and mix until just combined.
- Evenly distribute the brownie batter between all 24 mini muffin cavities. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and gently press in the center of each brownie with the bottom of a measuring teaspoon. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for at least 45 minutes.
- Remove the cooled brownie bites from the pan and place them back onto the wire rack.
To make the caramel filling:
- Add the soft caramel candies and heavy cream to a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20 to 30 seconds increments, making sure to stir well after each increment, until completely melted and smooth. Evenly distribute the caramel between all 24 brownie bites (about 1 teaspoon per each brownie bite).
- Allow to cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes so the caramel can firm up, then top with sea salt as desired.
Notes
These look irresistible!! Brownies are my weakness!! 🙂
They’re one of mine too, Annie!
These look incredible! Salted Caramel Brownies are my favourite, but these look even better!
Thank you, Sian!
Oh my gosh, these bites are SO up my alley, Danielle! Caramel and brownies are my two biggest dessert weaknesses so I’m all over these! Pretty sure I would have a really hard time not eating the entire batch though. 😉
Thank you, Sarah! I had a hard time not eating all of them, I wish I could’ve shared some with you!
I have a thing for brownies and salted caramel, so these wouldn’t last long around me! These look delicious, Danielle!
Wow! These look sensational! I love caramel so much and on a fudgy brownie? So delish!!! Pinned.
Brownie bites are the best! I love that you can fill them with just about anything. Caramel and sea salt sounds perfect, Danielle! I know I wouldn’t be able to resist these cuties!
That’s what I love about them too! Thanks, Gayle!
Is it bad that I could pop 3-4 of these babies in my mouth at once? The look incredible!! Mmmm.
Not at all 😉 they’re mini so that makes it okay!
These brownie bites look incredibly YUM, Danielle. Caramel on a fudgy brownie bed is just so GOOD.
These are the cutest little bites! Brownies and gooey caramel is the ultimate combo! These would be gone in no time at our house!
These look fantastic am definitely going to give them a go – would they freeze okay?
Hi Wendy! I think the brownie portion would freeze fine. I’m not too sure about the caramel, since I haven’t tried freezing that before. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear!
Hi Danielle-
Thank you for this sharing this recipe, it looks wonderful. I am wondering how far in advance you think they could be made and if they would be ok if kept at room temp. I would like to make them for an upcoming event.
Thank you in advance!
Kimberly
Hi, Kimberly! It would be fine to make the brownie part 1-2 days in advance. You can store them in an airtight container on the counter. I would wait until the day of the event to make the caramel and add it though. I hope that helps! I’d love to hear how they turn out 🙂
Hi Danielle! I made the brownie part today and froze them for an event on Friday. I’m going to do the caramel part on Thursday. The brownies are delicious!!! I hope this works out…fingers crossed!
Hi, Eileen! I’m so glad to hear that you liked the brownies! I think they should freeze okay, but I’d love to hear how they turn out 🙂
Question- how do you make the brownies not stick to the pan? Thanks!
Hi, Katelyn! I spray each cavity of my mini muffin pan really well with non-stick cooking spray before adding the brownie batter.
Hi! I’d like to make them a few weeks in advance, do they freeze well at all? I might freeze the brownies first and make the caramel the day of the party… Thanks, they look insane !
I haven’t tried freezing these with the caramel yet. But I do think freezing the brownie part would be fine and making the caramel the day of the party would work fine! I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Hi! I just found this recipe! I am so gonna try it, I can’t wait. Just a quick question, will hard caramel candies work the same as the soft ones? Will I need to put in more quantity of heavy cream if I use hard candy?
Thanks
Daphne
Hi, Daphne. I’m not so sure the hard candies would work well in this recipe, I would suggest using the soft ones. I like Kraft’s soft caramel candies if that helps.
Unfortunately, I do not think there is soft caramel candies in Singapore. But thank you anyways!
Daphne
Hi Danielle,
Thank you so much for sharing such a quick and delicious recipe. I made these last night for my daughter’s volleyball team party and they were a hit! In the words of the teenage girls “OMG they taste even better than 2 Bite Brownies” – yeah but without the Costco chaos and unrecognizable ingredients! I figured it took less time to make them than going to the store 🙂 I did cheat and use Trader Joe’s Fleur du Sel Caramel Sauce as I had that on hand. Its yummy, although a bit sticky, and a little goes a long way. I also buttered and dusted the muffin tins with cocoa for the second batch as my first had a few stuck brownies despite the baking spray. A great excuse to invest in a new pan, I have a feeling I’ll be asked to make these regularly!
Thank you for the kind comment, Karyn! I’ve actually had the two bite brownies and they’re really good, so that’s a wonderful compliment! It really does take less time to make your own at home, which is why I love to make these. And great idea to dust with some cocoa powder, I may try that out next time I make a batch 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. I made it without the caramel filling and my daughters’ added their favourites (marshmallows, chocolate, etc). The brownies were fantastic!
So glad you enjoyed the brownie bites, Samantha! The marshmallows and chocolate sound so fun and perfect with these too 🙂
Hi, looks amazing!
What is the size of the mini muffin? I want to know if what i have at home is good enough. Thanks!
Hi, Karin! I use a 24-count mini muffin pan. The cavities are smaller than a regular 12-count muffin pan. Hope that helps!
They look amazing and can’t wait to make them, but I will drizzle melted chocolate in diagonal lines over the caramel, then sprinkle the salt on top. They will look phenomenal and taste even better too! You can never have too much chocolate!
You can definitely never have too much chocolate! Love that idea! Hope you enjoy the brownie bites, Linda 🙂
They taste great. They were easy to make. BUT: They didn’t come out of the pan! So, by the time I scooped them out with a spoon they didn’t look nearly as pretty as in your photos. I sprayed the pan and it was a new teflon pan, so I am not sure what went wrong.
I’m so sorry to hear that they didn’t come out of the pan well, Gabriele. I make sure to spray my pan really well with non-stick cooking spray and allow the brownie bites to cool completely before trying to remove them. I’ve had a few readers mentioned that they’ve used some butter and dusted each cavity with a little cocoa powder instead of using cooking spray. If you try them again, maybe try that out and see if it helps make them easier to remove.
About how full do you fill the muffin tins? I divided the batter evenly and they oozed over. 🙁
I’m so sorry to hear that, Angie! It’s been a while since I made a batch of these, but I’d say about 3/4 of the way full. They shouldn’t rise too much in the oven, so I’m not sure why they spilled over. Do you remember how full you filled them?
Hi could u pls give the gram measurements for each ingredients. I would love to make it for my son’s birthday party.
I just updated the recipes and added the gram measurements. Hope that helps and hope everyone enjoys the brownies bites for your son’s birthday! 🙂
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try these brownie bites. I was wondering if anyone has tried using brownie mix? Also for the mini muffin pan I thought I’d try muffin liners, has anyone tried that?
You can definitely use a box of brownie mix for these if you like, Kris! I haven’t tried using muffin liners though, I find brownie batter likes to stick to things so I’m not sure if it would stick or not. As long as you grease the pan really well, they should come out just fine though!
Thanks Danielle!
I made a double batch of these delicious brownie bites last night. I’m making a dessert bar for a shower on Saturday. i tested a few in the pan without liners and they came out of the pan but a few were rugged looking (they didn’t go to waste!). So I used paper liners and they are perfect. I filled some with the caramel and salt for dessert last night to test them out.. They are moist, light and so yummy! My family loved them. The rest are in my freezer and I’ll fill them Saturday morning. I wasn’t sure how the caramel would freeze and that is an easy step. These are incredible! I’m making mini cheesecakes next. I’ll let you know how they turn out! THank you for your recipes!
So glad to hear your family loved the brownie bites, Bonnie! Hope everyone enjoys them on Saturday too and I’d love to hear how the mini cheesecakes turn out for you! 🙂
Any idea how long these would stay fresh? I am making for a wedding on Sat. and my friend wants the cookies by Wed. before.
They may not taste quite as fresh if you make them that far in advance with the caramel in them. You could make them ahead of time, freeze them, and then thaw them out the night before in the refrigerator. Just bring to room temperature before you plan to serve them and you can add the caramel then. Hope that helps!
I wanted to make the caramel myself could you please provide some measurements?
Hi, Sarah! Are you needing measurements for caramel sauce? If so, I have a recipe here: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/homemade-salted-caramel-sauce/.
I’ve made these before and they were delicious! Now I need to make dessert in a pinch and have everything on hand except heavy cream. Do you think I could sub 2% milk? Thanks for a great recipe!
Yes, 2% milk would be fine!
Thanks for the quick reply and for confirming that I don’t have to drag 3 littles to the grocery store.
These are delicious. I have made them several times, ways a hit. Question, I am having trouble getting the brownies out of the plan, the tops are breaking off. Does anyone have a suggestion? Should I put these batter in so they dont go over the top of the mini muffins?
I always spray my pan generously with non-stick cooking spray. You could also grease the pan with butter and dust with some cocoa powder. Are they flowing over the top and stick to the top of the pan? If so, you may want to put a little less in each cavity.
Hi, I have a muffin pan that’s smaller than Mini muffin tins. Like little cuppie sizes. Do you think it would still work with that size?
Hi, Hana! I’m not familiar with the size of pan you’re referring to, but it should still work to bake the brownie part of the recipe. You may need to reduce the baking time and I’m not sure how much caramel you would be able to put in each one.