Salted Caramel Pretzel Thumbprints Food

GOOEY CHOCOLATE SALTED CARAMEL PRETZEL BROWNIE

Steps:

• For the brownies: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• Whisk together the brownie mix and cayenne in a large bowl. Add the vegetable oil, eggs and 1/2 cup water and stir until just combined; do not overmix. Stir in the crushed pretzels. Spread the mixture in the prepared dish and top with the whole pretzels in a 4-by-5 grid. Bake until the brownies are puffed and a tester inserted about 2 inches from the edge comes out with a few crumbs, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool on a rack.
• For the caramel: Put the sugar in a small saucepan, drizzle with 2 tablespoons water and set over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar melts. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally so the edges don't burn, until the sugar syrup is a dark amber, about 8 minutes.
• Whisk in the butter, then the cream. Return to a simmer, just to combine, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla. Pour the caramel into a spouted glass measuring cup and let cool until the mixture is thick enough to drizzle, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Drizzle the caramel over the brownies and sprinkle lightly with the coarse salt. Let cool completely in the baking dish before cutting into squares, each with a whole pretzel on top. Serve topped with whipped cream.

SALTED CARAMEL PRETZEL BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• For the bread pudding: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.
• Scatter the bread cubes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the melted butter and toss to coat. Bake, stirring halfway through, until the bread is golden brown and crunchy, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, follow the package directions for microwaving and salting the pretzels (don't use all the salt). Quarter each pretzel.
• Whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, whole eggs and yolks in a medium bowl.
• Scatter the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Top with the pretzel pieces (turning some over to show off the nicely browned bottoms) and then nestle in the caramel candy halves. Pour the custard over the mixture. Cover with foil and set aside at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Bake until the bread pudding is set with a slight jiggle in the center, 45 to 55 minutes. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
• For the caramel sauce: Meanwhile, combine the caramels, butter and cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, stirring halfway through, until the caramels and butter melt together, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth and thick. (The caramel sauce can be made ahead of time and then reheated to loosen up for serving.)
• Drizzle the bread pudding with the caramel sauce and sprinkle with some pretzel salt before serving.

THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Knead a few times by hand to bring the dough together.
• Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Make an indentation in the center of each ball with a small measuring spoon or the back of a pen. Fill each indentation with jam (a scant 1/8 teaspoon).
• Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.