Soft brownie with salted caramel and pretzels

Ingredients:

Brownie

• 2 packs of 517 g. dry brownie mix
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 and 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 5 large eggs, beaten
• 1.5 cups crushed pretzel slims (about 3 cups whole pretzels), plus 20 whole pretzels for garnish
• Cooking spray to spray the pan
• Whipped cream, for serving

Caramel

• 0.5 cups of sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• Coarse salt, for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C and spray a 22x32cm glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Brownie:
   
   In a large bowl, combine the dry brownie mix with the cayenne pepper. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, and 1/2 cup water and mix until combined; do not overmix. Fold in the crushed pretzels. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and top with whole pretzels in a 4x5 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. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Caramel:
   
   Place the sugar in a small saucepan, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of water, and place over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar melts. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally to prevent burning, until the sugar syrup turns dark amber, about 8 minutes.
4. Whisk in the butter, then the heavy cream. Return the caramel to a low heat, stirring gently, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the caramel into a liquid measuring cup and let cool until thick enough to drizzle, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Drizzle the brownies with caramel and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Let cool completely in the pan, then cut into squares, each topped with a pretzel. Serve the brownies with whipped cream.