My caramel brownies are not the only reason TheRoomDad wanted to marry me, but the chocolatey, gooey goodness is definitely a contributing factor. This is the best Valentine’s Day sweet treat I know, and in the early years of our courtship, I baked a batch of these brownies every Valentine’s Day and some birthdays too. Until yesterday, it had been many years since I served them. My kids don’t remember ever eating them! What was I thinking?

I got the recipe from one of my mom’s friends when I was about nine years old. For years, I have been under the impression that we were a privileged few who had access to the secret. Then, I did a Google search. Damn. It is not a secret. Since my recipe (and many spin offs) are available online, I am going to go ahead and share the version I use.

Ingredients

• 1 11-oz. bag light caramels, unwrapped
• 2/3 c. evaporated milk, divided
• 1 box German chocolate cake mix
• 2/3 c. margarine, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 c. chocolate chips (~6 oz.)

Directions

• Combine caramels and 1/3 c. evaporated milk in a double boiler. Stir until melted and set aside.

• In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, melted margarine, and 1/3 c. evaporated milk.

• Press 1/2 of the dough in a greased 9″ x 13″ pan. Bake at 350 degrees for ~6 minutes and remove from oven.

• Sprinkle the partially baked dough with chocolate chips.

• Spread the melted caramel over the chocolate chips and gently spread evenly with a spatula.

• Crumple the remaining dough over the caramel layer.

• Bake an additional 15-18 minutes.
• Remove from oven. Let cool and cut into squares to serve.

Notes

• If you don’t have a double boiler to melt the caramels,  use a metal mixing bowl on the top of a pan of water as a double boiler. The caramels can also be melted with the evaporated milk in a microwave. Heat in 45 second increments stirring at the end of each time until the caramels are melted completely.