Caramel Brownies

All About these Chocolate Caramel Brownies!

• They taste decadent! – These chocolate caramel brownies are delicious. With rich chocolate flavor and a gooey caramel layer, they are the perfect dessert for caramel lovers.
• They’re easy to make! – This easy brownie recipe creates a treat that looks much more difficult to make than it actually is. Whip up the brownie batter, melt the caramels in the microwave, and you’re good to go! 
• They have the perfect brownie texture! – Most people have a preference when it comes to brownie consistency, and these brownies hit the sweet spot. The moist crumbs aren’t too gooey and aren’t too dry. They’re the perfect fudgy brownie!

Ingredients Needed for this Caramel Brownie Recipe

The best thing about these chocolate caramel brownies is how simple they are to make!

There are no fancy ingredients or kitchen tricks here. 

• 18 Ounce Box of Brownie Mix – You are more than welcome to use your own recipe for homemade brownies, but it’s nice to reach for a box of brownie mix when time (or energy!) are short. Along with the other two ingredients listed below, you’ll also need whatever ingredients are also listed on your particular box of brownie mixture. If you usually do some ingredient swapping when you make box brownies (such as using applesauce or melted butter instead of oil), you can go ahead and do them.
• 11 Ounces of Caramel – Any store-bought caramels are just fine. Because you’ll be melting them down to make a gooey caramel sauce, it will go faster if you use soft caramels rather than the harder caramel bits. You may be tempted to skip a step and reach for a container of store-bought caramel sauce, but try to resist. Those sauces don’t make a good layer of caramel in the brownies, and you’ll have an unruly mess on your hands.
• 1/3 Cup of Evaporated Milk – This helps the caramel candies melt down into a creamy caramel sauce. If you want a thicker caramel layer, you could swap to sweetened condensed milk, but be warned. That makes this already decadent dessert super rich!

How to Make these Caramel Brownies Recipe

Making this brownie recipe is as easy as whipping up the brownie batter, melting the caramel, and then layering them together in the pan.

Here’s how to do it:

1. After preheating the oven, grease a 9″x9″ baking dish using a nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the brownie mix with the ingredients listed on its box, and set aside.
3. Place the unwrapped caramels and the evaporated milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments until the caramel has melted, stirring in between with a wooden spoon.
4. Pour half of the brownie batter into the bottom of the baking dish, using a rubber spatula to spread it into an even layer.
5. Pour all of the melted caramel sauce over the top of the brownie layer base. Spread it carefully, so as not to mix the two layers.
6. Finally, use a spoon to dollop the rest of the brownie batter on top of the caramel layer.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the brownies comes out clean. Well, mostly clean. Caramel is gooey!
8. Allow the brownies to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into them. Then, enjoy alongside a scoop of ice cream!

Top Tips for Perfect Brownies

I’m here to help!

Here are my top tips for perfect chocolate caramel brownies, every time.

• Patience is a virtue, and you’ll be rewarded for it in this recipe! It’s important to give the caramel layer time to set before cutting into the brownies, so don’t cut into them straight out of the oven.
• Don’t over-mix your batter! Overly mixed brownie batter leads to tough brownies. In fact, it’s best to work this recipe up by hand rather than use a stand mixer.
• Eggs can be hard to incorporate evenly into a batter, especially one where care needs taken not to overmix. You can fix this by using room temperature eggs instead of cold eggs. If you forget to set them out ahead of time, simply pop them in a bowl of warm water for a bit. 
• Nobody wants to slave over a sink basin. Do yourself a favor and line the pan with parchment paper – both the bottom and the sides of the pan.
• Add a splash of vanilla extract to add a beautiful depth of flavor! 

How to Store Leftover Fudgy Brownies

You can store any remaining rich chocolate caramel brownies on the countertop for up to a week, as long as they are placed in an airtight container.

Need them to last even longer?

These brownies can actually last up to 3 months in the freezer, ready for you to pull out and thaw as needed.

Cut the whole pan into squares, wrap each individual brownie in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe bag.

Try one of these ideas below to take your brownies up a notch.

• Add Nuts – I love to add some chopped pecans or chopped walnuts to regular brownies, and they add a toothsome crunch to your pan of caramel brownies.
• Sprinkle Salt – Salted caramel is popular for a reason! Add a sprinkle of sea salt or kosher salt to the top of the brownies, or incorporate flaky sea salt into the caramel sauce for delicious salted caramel brownies.
• More Chocolate – More chocolate is never a bad idea! Add milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips to the top of the brownies, or chopped chocolate bar pieces.
• Texture Change-Up – If gooey brownies aren’t your cup of tea, you can achieve a more cake-like brownies by doubling this recipe and swapping out one of the boxes of brownie mix for a box of German chocolate cake mix.

Another Delicious Caramel Recipe

If you love caramel recipes, you may want to try this Caramel Apple Bark.

This recipe is fun anytime of year, but most definitely puts me in mind of fall!