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Gooey and fudgy, these caramel brownies have a thick layer of caramel and chocolate chips running through the middle. You get the perfect combination of chocolate and caramel with every bite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Family Favorite! I have been making these brownies for years. It is a favorite of the entire Wilkes family. And all of their friends, especially when my boys were teenagers.
Quick and Easy. The best part is they are so easy to make. You use a cake mix and store bought caramels. The hardest part of the recipe is unwrapping all of the caramels, or you can skip that step and use Kraft Caramel Bits. Now there is no excuse not to make them!
Ingredients Needed
- German Chocolate Cake Mix. I prefer Duncan Hines cake mix.
- Caramels, about 50 wrapped pieces or 1 bag of Kraft Caramel Bits
- Evaporated Milk
- Butter, salted
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
How to Make Caramel Brownies
- Melt caramels and evaporated milk in a small saucepan over medium low heat. You can also melt in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, be careful not to burn.
- Combine cake mix, butter, and evaporated milk and stir to combine.
- Press 1/2 of the batter mixture into bottom of prepared 9×13 inch pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F oven for 6 minutes.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of partially baked brownie batter layer.
- Pour caramel mixture over batter and chocolate chips.
- Place remaining pieces dough on top of caramel layer(will not completely cover) The dough will come together as the brownies bake.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting.
Tips from leigh Anne
- For salted caramel brownies, sprinkle the top of the caramel layer with some flakey sea salt.
- Allow brownies to cool before cutting. I find using a disposable plastic knife to cut the brownies gives you the cleanest cut.
- Be sure to use chewy caramel candies. I like Kraft the best. You don’t want a hard caramel candy.
- You can add some chopped pecans to the brownie mixture if you like nuts in your brownies.
- Don’t overmix your brownie batter. I just do it by hand in a bowl and don’t use a mixer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use caramel sauce instead of caramels?
I have never tried it but I am guessing it would work.
What kind of chocolate chips can I use?
I always use semi-sweet chocolate chips but milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips would work too.
How long will caramel brownies last?
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature they will last for 4-5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Check out more of my best brownie recipes:
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Caramel Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 oz package Kraft caramels about 50 or 1 bag of Caramel Bits
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk divided
- 1 box of German Chocolate cake mix
- 3/4 cup butter melted
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped nuts optional. I don’t use.
Instructions
- Over medium low heat, melt 1/3 C evaporated milk and caramels in a saucepan. Stir often.
- Grease a 9 x 13 pan
- Mix cake mix, butter, 1/3 C evaporated milk by hand in a bowl.
- Press 1/2 of the dough into bottom of pan
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 6 minutes
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and spread caramel on top of that
- Sprinkle remaining dough on top (will not completely cover)
- Bake 15-18 minutes
- Cool on a wire rack. You can put in the refrigerator to cool.
Tips & Notes:
- For salted caramel brownies, sprinkle the top of the caramel layer with some flakey sea salt.
- Allow brownies to cool before cutting. I find using a disposable plastic knife to cut the brownies gives you the cleanest cut.
- Be sure to use chewy caramel candies. I like Kraft the best. You don’t want a hard caramel candy.
- You can add some chopped pecans to the brownie mixture if you like nuts in your brownies.
- Don’t overmix your brownie batter. I just do it by hand in a bowl and don’t use a mixer.
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Tiffany says
I just made these for enrichment (women’s organization), and they are super yummy! I sprinkled them with toffee bits just to add a little crunch and to hint at the yummy caramel underneath. Thanks for a great recipe!
Salt Lake City Caterer says
Those do sound quite tasty and I can honestly say that I’ve never made anything besides the regular brownies, sometimes topped with minty frosting. Ill have to give those a try!
-Jack
Meghan says
Super Yummy! I used a Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix and they were delicious. Thank you so much for sharing.
Catherine says
Made these for Thanksgiving . . . except (don’t you love it when people say they made your recipe “except”?) . . . I sprinkled some chocolate chips on top when it was done. I thought that it looked like it needed a little something extra, so I sprinkled some (I’m guessing about 1 cup) on top and put it back into the warm (but turned-off) oven for a few minutes. The chocolate chips got a little goey, but it was wonderful! This recipe definitely is one that will be a staple!
Incidentally, my great aunt Edie used to make these when I was a kid. My grandma has made them a few times; I’m guessing she got Edie’s recipe. I have always loved them! Thanks for taking me back to my childhood . . . and reminding me of a beloved aunt!!!
Jennifer says
I just made these this morning and I have a problem…they are like unbaked brownie dough. I even kept them in the oven for 23 minutes the 2nd time because I thought they looked undone. I used one bag of caramel bits. I rechecked the recipe and I used the exact amount of ingredients above. Does anybody have any idea what happened? They definitely do not look like the picture above!
Leigh Anne says
Jennifer, I have no idea why they would not cook – they are gooey with the caramel but definitely cooked through. Have you checked the temperature of your oven lately? How thick was the layer of dough you put on top of the caramel?