Salted Caramel Brownies

These brownies. They should be called killer brownies. Or amazing brownies. But I decided to be boring and just call them Caramel Brownies. Descriptive but not nearly enough pizzazz for these brownies. They are so so delicious!

So here's what you're going to do. It all starts with a cake mix. The traditional method uses German chocolate cake mix, which is good, but I took a right turn and use devil's food cake mix. And by the way, German chocolate is named after a MAN named German not the country named Germany. You're welcome.

And on that topic, they're CANADA geese. Not Canadian. Because they're named after a MAN named John Canada, not the country Canada.

But why am I talking about geese when we need to be talking about brownies. But since I'm talking about geese, it makes me think of ducks, and the ducks we raised this spring.

In case you're not aware, ducks grow FAST.

In other news, ducks can also be trained to lay on their back. Ask my 5-year-old for her training tips.

Back to brownies. Press in most of the brownie batter into a 9x13 dish. Bake it for 6 minutes. Let it cool. Pour over the cooled caramel. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips and the salt. Dot on the remaining brownie batter. Cook it for a few more minutes. Try to use self-control while the brownies cool. You must let them cool or you'll end up with a molten dish of salted caramel brownies.

Caramel Brownies

1 package devil's food cake mix
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
2 T flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 11 oz. packages Kraft caramel bits
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp kosher salt

Stir together the cake mix, butter, flour, vanilla & evaporated milk. Spread 2/3 of the batter in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 6 minutes. Take it out and let it cool.

Meanwhile, melt together in a medium saucepan the 1/2 cup evaporated milk and the caramel bits. Allow it to mostly cool.

When the brownie base is cool, pour over the melted (but mostly cool) caramel. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Sprinkle the kosher salt on top of that.

Cover the top with the remaining batter. It won't cover it completely; that's ok. Just spread it out with your hands and cover the top the best you can.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-11 minutes. Optional: sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Cool completely before cutting (otherwise it's just a molten mess!).