Caramel Brownies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chunks
1 package (14 oz) soft caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat oven to 350. In large microwave-safe bowl, melt together butter and chocolate in microwave oven for 2 minutes; stir until smooth. Whisk in eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Spread half the batter into 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chunks.

In medium-size saucepan, melt together caramels and heavy cream over medium-low heat until smooth, about 5 minutes. Evenly pour over batter in pan. Spread with remaining batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chocolate chunks.

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until top is dry to the touch. Let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I left out the pecans because I prefer my brownies without nuts. Other than that, I didn't do anything differently.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same as above.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP!! Wow, these were sooo good. And sooo messy. They were kind of blobby because of the melted caramel in the middle, but who cares?? The only thing I hated about this recipe was unwrapping each individual caramel. My fingers were killing me by the end. Also, I always use a metal spoon to stir when I'm making candy, so trust me, if you have one, you'll want to use it for the caramels. The caramel drops off so much easier when it's done.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chunks
1 package (14 oz) soft caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat oven to 350. In large microwave-safe bowl, melt together butter and chocolate in microwave oven for 2 minutes; stir until smooth. Whisk in eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Spread half the batter into 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chunks. In medium-size saucepan, melt together caramels and heavy cream over medium-low heat until smooth, about 5 minutes. Evenly pour over batter in pan. Spread with remaining batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chocolate chunks. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until top is dry to the touch. Let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.