Gooey Chocolate–Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies

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In my opinion, the best desserts have a combination of salty and sweet.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 18.3-ounce boxes fudge brownie mix
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
5 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzel slims (about 3 cups whole slims), plus 20 whole slims for topping
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coarse salt, for sprinkling
Whipped cream, for serving

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