Chocolate Caramel Brownies

I made these brownies for Bible Study and my co-workers last week, and received mouthfuls of "Oh my gooooooodness!!!!" along with requests for the recipe - that, and Grace has requested that people post more recipes. But...

BEWARE.

These are brownies that you should only make if you are ready for the chocolate-caramel frenzy this will induce in all of your friends and family.

I've warned you.

My family affectionately calls these brownies “Diet Bars” – I can’t imagine why…

The recipe is very simple, and doesn’t really even have any measurements (that’s how we roll on my dad’s side of the family).  Basically this means that anyone can make it.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 box of German chocolate cake mix
3/4 c. of melted butter
1 small can of sweetened condensed milk*
1 (6 oz.) package of caramels**
6 oz. (or more!) of chocolate chips

*Here’s the deal. Because of how the cans of sweetened condensed milk are these days, it means that you will have leftover milk if you only make one batch of these. Now, if you double the recipe, the measurements work out JUST right for a large can of milk, about 14 oz. Darn, I guess I have to always make a double recipe…

**You should probably unwrap the caramels. Just sayin’.

Mix together the cake mix, melted butter, and 1/3 c. of sweetened condensed milk.  You can also optionally add chopped nuts, but I never do this.

Butter. Quite possibly the greatest gift to bakers (besides chocolate) EVAH!

Take 2/3 of this mixture and press it into a lightly greased 9" x 13" baking pan, so that the bottom of the pan is covered. Bake this at 350 degrees for about 6 minutes.

You should probably wash your hands before doing this step.

When you take it out of the oven, let it cool. While you’re waiting through the smell of chocolatey goodness, unwrap the caramels. Pour 1/3 c. of the sweetened condensed milk over the caramels in a bowl, and microwave to melt them together. I recommend microwaving for 1 minute, then stirring, then microwaving in 30 second intervals while stirring in between. This avoids burning, which you don’t want. When it is all liquid and mixed together, you’re ready.

Spread the caramel mixture over the lightly baked cake base. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the caramel, as little or as many as you want.

This is about when I decided that maybe it was time to go on a diet...

Crumble the remaining cake mixture in crumbs over the caramel and chocolate. Continue baking for another 20 minutes.

Sorry if I drooled into the pan.

You can check to see if it’s finished by sticking a toothpick or fork into the center of the brownies – beware though that the caramel and melted chocolate chips could throw you off. I can also tell by just giving the pan a little shake back and forth – if the brownies still move like liquid, you can tell they need a couple of more minutes. You do want them to have a bit of give though, because they will continue to cook in the pan a bit after you take them out. Plus, these brownies are better soft and gooey.

You should probably remove these from the oven before eating. Patience is a virtue, people.

...and this is when I decided that my diet could wait a few more days.

ENJOY!

~*~

Liesl’s extra-special, super-secret tip for keeping your brownies fresh longer.

So you just HAD to make 2 batches so the milk measurements worked out, didn’t you?

Now I am usually nice, and share these extra brownies with friends, co-workers, etc. However, if you want to be a pig and keep them all for yourself, you’re going to want to keep them moist and chewy.

Store them in a sealed container, and after a day or two, place a slice of bread in with the brownies in the sealed container. The brownies will soak up any moisture from the bread, keeping them moist and chew-tastic. You may need to replace the bread after a day or so if you are continuing to store them.