Pumpkin, Chocolate and Caramel Brownie Bites

Pumpkin Bread

1. Mix all of the ingredients together.

Brownies

1. Microwave the chocolate and the butter for 2 minutes until the butter melts.
2. Stir the mixture until the chocolate melts.
3. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
4. Then mix in the flour.

Salted Caramel Sauce

1. Heat the sugar in a 2-3 quart pan over medium-high heat until it starts to melt, at which point start whisking it.
2. Continue whisking it as it clumps up, until it completely melts.
3. Continue cooking the sugar until it reaches 350 degrees with a candy thermometer(it will be a dark amber color).
4. Stir in the butter and mix it with a whisk or a wooden spoon until the butter melts.
5. Remove it from the heat and slowly add the cream, stirring it constantly until a smooth sauce forms.
6. If salted caramel is desired, stir in the fleur de sel and mix well until combined.
7. Once cooled, store in a jar or a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies {Muffins}

1. Spoon pumpkin bread batter (roughly two tablespoonfuls) into lined muffin tins. (Or spoon the batter into a 9×13 pan.)
2. Drop a dollop of chocolate brownie batter on top of each pumpkin muffin. (If preparing in a pan, drop dollops around the top of the pan, and use a table knife to gently swirl the batters if desired.)
3. Optional addition is to drizzle salted or plain caramel sauce over the top of the batter.
4. Bake the brownies for 20+ minutes (depending on size of pan and thickness of brownies).
5. A toothpick inserted should come out fairly clean. (The chocolate brownie portion should not be overcooked and can still be kind of gooey so that it remains fudgy when cooled.)
6. Eat immediately or keep in a sealed container.
7. Note that if you use the salted caramel, the brownies stay gooey but when chilled or frozen, the caramel sets and they are like a chilled piece of caramel fudge.