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Miso Caramel Brownies (Trust Me On This)

Okay but have you ever put miso in caramel? Because if you haven't, you're about to have a MOMENT.



I've been on a miso-in-baking kick (you might have noticed) and this is the recipe that started it all. I was making regular brownies, had a jar of white miso on the counter from dinner prep, and thought "what if?" Two hours later I was eating the best brownie I'd ever made and immediately texting James: "I NEED TO BLOG THIS."



The miso caramel is the star here. It's sweet, salty, deeply savory, and it pools on top of an intensely fudgy brownie base. Together they're... honestly, I don't have words. Just make them.



Ingredients — Brownies




  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter

  • 200g dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped

  • ¾ cup (150g) sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • ½ cup (65g) all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

  • ¼ teaspoon salt



Ingredients — Miso Caramel




  • ½ cup (100g) sugar

  • ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream, warmed

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 2 tablespoons white miso paste

  • Flaky sea salt



The Method



Brownies first: Melt butter and chocolate together (microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between, OR double boiler if you're fancy). Stir in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla. Fold in flour, cocoa, and salt. Pour into an 8x8 lined pan.



The caramel: Here's where it gets FUN. Put sugar in a clean, dry saucepan over medium heat. Don't stir — just swirl the pan occasionally. Watch it melt and turn amber. Once it's a deep golden color (like dark honey), pull it off heat and carefully pour in the warm cream. It WILL bubble violently. This is normal. Don't panic. Stir until smooth. Add butter and miso. Whisk until combined.



Pour the miso caramel over the brownie batter in the pan. Use a knife to swirl it — don't fully mix. You want rivers of caramel running through.



Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 22-25 minutes. The center should be barely set. These are meant to be FUDGY, bordering on underbaked. They firm up as they cool. If you overbake them, you've made chocolate cake, not brownies.



Sprinkle with flaky salt. Let cool completely before cutting (I know, I know).



What Went Wrong?




  • Caramel seized: Your cream wasn't warm enough. Next time, microwave it for 30 seconds before adding to the hot sugar.

  • Brownies are cakey: Overbaked. Pull them out when they still look slightly wobbly in the center.

  • Too sweet: Use higher cacao chocolate (80%) or reduce sugar by 2 tablespoons.

  • Caramel sank to the bottom: Don't swirl too much. Gentle is the move.



It took me 7 batches to get the miso-to-caramel ratio right. Batch 3 was way too salty. Batch 5 was close but the brownie base was too cakey. This is batch 7 and it's perfect. Trust me on this.