It's the summer of brownies here on WGC and I'm not stopping anytime soon. We made those Rocky Road Brownies a few weeks back - excellent! We made the most perfect brownie recipe - epic! You know I'm forever a fan of the Slutty Brownies! And today... Knock you Naked Caramel Brownies.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
These Knock You Naked Brownies first made an appearance here on WGC 10+ years ago. It came from my friend Ree of The Pioneer Woman and I will forever be indebted to her. Ree is one of the most kind and funny people I've met to date in this fun food blogging world of ours. She's down to earth and just wonderful. And the recipe....it's insane. It's gooey and caramel-y and it satisfies truly any sweet tooth.
Every single time I make these Knock You Naked Brownies, and thats probably 4-5 times a year for the past 10 years, I have a small nibble and then put it in the fridge to set for serving for friends / fam. And that small nibble turns into me eating pretty much half of the pan so what ends up being served at my dinner party is VERY VERY VERY SMALL bites of brownies. I am who I am, I'm not sorry. I have very little self control around chocolate and caramel.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- German Chocolate Cake Mix – I use Duncan Hines
- Evaporated Milk
- Butter
- Whole Caramels
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Powdered Sugar
- Pecans - these are in the OG Ree recipe but I honestly omit them every time! But if you're into the Pecan world, please be my guest.
*Please see the the full recipe card below for instructions and full list of ingredients
How to Make Knock You Naked Brownies
Step 1: In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, ⅓ cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. The mixture will be very thick.
Step 2: Press half the mixture into a well-greased parchment lined 9 x 9 inch square baking pan.
Step 3: Bake at 350ºF for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
Step 4: In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional ½ cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over the brownie base.
Step 5: Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
Step 6: Turn out remaining brownie dough on the work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan.
Step 7: Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
Step 8: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies and cut into either nine or twelve helpings.
Tips & Tricks
- You MUST use a metal 9×9 baking pan. Glass doesn’t retain heat as well. The disposable ones don’t retain heat at all. My fav is super inexpensive and great for all brownies, blondies, bars etc.
- The resting time when making these is essential. It allows for the brownies to slightly continue to bake once removed from the oven and cool over the course of at least 2 hours. This ensures a perfectly gooey brownie!
FAQs
What makes brownies fudgy instead of cakey?
A higher fat to flour ratio yields fudgy brownies while a higher flour to fat ratio will yield cakey brownies.
What's the difference between fudgy brownies and cake brownies?
Cake brownies are lighter and have more air!
Does the toothpick trick work for brownies?
For the most part yes - unless you're talking about super gooey brownies with caramel like these Knock You Naked Brownies. In that case, you'll just want to make sure the top layer isn't still shaking and you'll be good to go.
Storage
These brownies are gooey - so it's best to store them, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge! I like to slice them right before serving (cold) so the cuts are the neatest!
More Brownie Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Knock You Naked Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 18.5 ounce box German Chocolate Cake Mix I use Duncan Hines
- ⅓ cup evaporated milk
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans (optional)
- ½ cup butter melted
- ⅓ cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar (optional)
For the Caramel
- ½ cup evaporated milk (additional)
- 60 whole caramels unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, ⅓ cup evaporated milk, melted butter and pecans. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
- Press half the mixture into a well-greased parchment lined 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
- In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional ½ cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over the brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
- Turn out remaining brownie dough on the work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.
Notes
- You MUST use a metal 9×9 baking pan. Glass doesn’t retain heat as well. The disposable ones don’t retain heat at all. My fav is super inexpensive and great for all brownies, blondies, bars etc.
- The resting time when making these is essential. It allows for the brownies to slightly continue to bake once removed from the oven and cool over the course of at least 2 hours. This ensures a perfectly gooey brownie!
The pictures made my mouth water...would love to win!!
These look sinfully delicious!!!!
Love these brownies, they are awesome! This cookbook looks amazing. Good luck everyone.
I would love to win! I've been in the mood for brownies...thinking I might just make these tonight! Thanks!
Oh those brownies look SOOOO good. I must try that recipe soon. I'd also love to win PW's new book.
These look fabulous. I love Ree, her new cookbook looks great!
Those brownies look amazing!
Are you kiddin' me...... Those brownies looks AMAZING!!!
I really enjoy watching Ree on her TV show. She shows her family so much love with her wondering cooking.
Cannot wait to see the new cook book 🙂 The brownies look AMAZING!
So totally cool and love the humor!
I would love a copy of Ree's book!!!
Oh My Lord! I'm drooling!! I LOVE brownies with caramel!
These brownies are awesome! I found this recipe last summer on her website and was immediately hooked. and you by the the way, have a great food blogging website too. Thanks for all the recipes and ideas1
I would love to win this book !!! She is absolutely amazing and I love her show, her books, and her blog !!
Those brownies are outrageous! Thanks for a chance to win.