Salted Caramel Brownies

My life changed the day I experienced my first bite of these salted caramel brownies. If you like extremely rich, dense and chewy brownies, you will not find a more satisfying version than these.  For me making dessert is always a challenge and one that I shy away from most of the time.  However, this recipe is very easy, uses a few short cuts to save time and in the end is so impressive it makes the effort all worth it. Given how these turned out, I am becoming more open to the idea of trying more dessert recipes...at least for today.

Ingredients

1 pkg Chocolate Cake Mix
3/4 cup Butter melted
2/3 cup Evaporated milk
1 pkg (14 oz) Caramels
1 pkg (12 oz) Semisweet chocolate chips 
1 tsp Kosher salt

Method

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix, melted butter and 1/3 cup evaporated milk, mix well – the batter will be thick. Layer half of the mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. The batter should be a thin layer spread over the bottom of the pan. Bake for 6 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the hot brownies. 

Meanwhile, unwrap caramels and place in microwave safe bowl with remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Heat and stir in one minute increments until smooth and melted. Pour melted caramel over the chocolate chips and sprinkle with kosher salt. Drop small crumbles of the remaining batter by hand over the top of caramel layer, dispersing evenly. Bake for an additional 15 – 18 minutes, or until top looks set.  Cool completely before serving.