Drunken Gluten Free Brownies with Caramel Sauce

These Gluten Free Salted Caramel Drunken Brownies are a version of my favorite dark chocolate brownie dessert on steroids (no actually alcohol but you catch my drift).  Sea salt-speckled copper-colored homemade caramel is drizzled on a rich dark chocolate brownie. The rum gives the recipe the extra kick it needs for a batch of gooey, decadent, rum spiked brownies, perfect for dessert parties or a sneaky midnight snack.  I'll be making these for my New Year's party this year.

Recipe Yields 9 large or 18 small brownies

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 oz semi-sweet dark chocolate chips or squares
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
½ tsp coarse salt
½ Tbs vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 ½ cups Sydney Blend
1/3 cup Rum
 
Caramel sauce:
½ cup sugar
1 ½ Tbs water
¼ cup cream
1oz Rum
Coarse sea salt
 
Heat: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9 x 9 inch baking pan.

Mix: Place butter and semi-sweet chocolate in a medium sized sauce pan and heat on low. Stir every few minutes until completely melted and smooth.  Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.  Stir in cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time until completely mixed in. Stir in Sydney Blend and then rum until completely mixed.

Bake: Using a rubber spatula, scrape batter into prepared baking dish and smooth the top. Place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Caramel Sauce: While the brownies cool, start on the caramel sauce. Add sugar and water to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Do not stir.  Boil the syrup for 6-8 minutes or until a deep amber caramel forms. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add Rum and stir until combined. Pour the caramel sauce into a heatproof cup and let it cool slightly.  If caramel gets too hard, place in the microwave for 10 seconds to liquify.  When ready to use, drizzle on top of the brownies and then sprinkle sea salt on top.