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 title of these brownies really caught my hubby's attention. =] Can't wait to try them!
I have her first cookbook and it is my favorite. I love a chance to win her second!! I am sure it will become another favorite.
I bought her first book as a birthday gift for my girlfriend, And it just so happen she and I were unable to hook up until last week, which meant I had the book for about 6 weeks and my daughters and I cooked so many recipes, I thought for sure the book would be full of spots and water marks before she got it. We just LOVED IT!! but now we are mourning it's passing on to my friend :o( So the three of us would make GREAT use of her new book I PROMISE!!! :o) thanks so much for the chance to win it!
I would love to win a copy of this cookbook! I've made these brownies and they are ah-mazing!!
Those look totally divine!
I made these brownies for my mom on her birthday, very gooey and good. I have Ree's first book and gained about 10 lbs in a few weeks time making my way through it. The...EVERYTHING, is so good, I can't pick just one thing. I can't wait to get my hands on this new book!
I just love Ree and I am so happy for her success! My hubby and I watch her show each Saturday! I would love to win her new cookbook! : )
I use the first Pioneer Woman Cookbook every week. I love the recipes, but I also enjoy the presentation. Nice photos, good instruction and a happy personal narrative makes me read it for fun. My birthday's in June, and I already have it on my list!
I've seen this recipe numerous times, but have never ended up making it. Seeing it again today reminds me that I need to add these ingredients to my grocery list!
I'm just like you! Things don't last long at all when I'm cooking by myself (having company always helps decrease the size of my own serving...haha :))...these brownies look delicious!
I can't tell you how many times I have made her cinnamon rolls!
I've made these brownies before and everyone loved them! Thanks Ree!
I'd love to have another signed book. I got to go to one of her signings before, but don't know if I'll be so lucky this time.
I'm drooling! Need to make these asap and buy bigger yoga pants!
I love Ree! Would love this book!