Caramel Pecan Brownies

I think that Werther’s Caramels are fairly new on the market. I had seen ads for them for a while, and it seems like I see ads for several months before I ever see the products in the store. When I saw them, I picked them up and figured there would be something that I could make with them. I was actually surprised that there weren’t all that many recipes using these particular caramels. I suppose that any recipe that uses caramels would work.

I ended up making these brownies. The recipe is on the back of the bag, so I figured that was as good as place as any. The recipe called for using a boxed brownie mix, but I just made up a batch of brownies using the chewy brownie recipe from King Arthur Flour. You then top the cooled brownies with caramel and pecans: not too hard!

This isn’t a very thick brownie. I know sometimes when I make brownies they are so thick that I can hardly cut them! The caramels take quite a while to melt, but don’t turn the heat up too much or you risk scorching the caramel. I chopped the pecans fairly large, and they didn’t stick to the caramel very well. By the time I had cut them into bars, most of the pecans had fallen off. Oh well, they still taste good, you can’t go wrong with caramel and chocolate.

Caramel Pecan Brownies

¾ cup butter, cut in pieces

2 cups sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup flour

9 ounces Werther’s Caramels, unwrapped

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” baking pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the sugar and stir until combined. Heat briefly, until the mixture looks shiny. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and then whisk in the flour. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for 28-32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out almost clean. Do not over bake. Cool before topping.

In a medium saucepan, combine the caramels and water. Heat on low heat, stirring frequently, until the caramels melt and the mixture is smooth. Drizzle over the cooled brownies and sprinkle with the chopped pecans. Cut into squares.

Recipe from Werther’s. Brownie recipe from King Arthur Flour