When we were in England, we stop at a country store that had gorgeous house packaging and baked goods. I spotted these Baking Baskets that I had carried years ago as an essential, but sort of fell out of the habit of using. I had mostly used them for baking homemade breads and cinnamon rolls. They had a new size that was more like a shallow baking dish with Salted Caramel Brownies. Now that is something I could get in the habit of!
Wooden Baking Basket with Liners, Set of 4, $12
I used a Large Cello Bag to hold the basket, then taped it closed underneath. I wrapped the entire thing in Satin Ribbon and included a tag.
This is just my favorite combination of things – a comforting classic, unpretentious treat wrapped in a way that makes it special. I believe this is what the Barefoot Contessa would call “Hi/Lo.”
I used a boxed brown mix – the entire batch goes into one pan. I used a jar of “hot” caramel sauce. The Smuckers “hot” caramel sauce is very thick and needs to be heated to be liquid. This is the kind you want so that it stays goey instead of runny. I found it at our very basic grocery store with the ice cream toppings.
Drizzle the caramel first, then the salt.
Then I generously sprinkled coarse sea salt all over. I used Maldon Sea Salt, but any kind will do.
Follow the baking directions on the box or recipe you are using.
I also made some Banana Bread to give as gifts for the new school year in the Medium Loaf Size (here). One batch of this recipe made two loafs. One to give and one to enjoy/put in the freezer.
Banana Bread Recipe (the recipe is muffins, but is the same for a loaf)
Supplies Used :
Wooden Baking Basket with Liners, Set of 4, $12