Caramel Brownies, step-by-step

Last year, I posted about caramel brownies and I think it's time to visit them again.

These babies are really one of my favorite desserts, EVER. You need them in your life.
{And on your hips.}

Caramel Brownies

2/3 c. evaporated milk, divided

14 oz. pkg. caramels

3/4 c. butter, melted

1 pkg. German Chocolate cake mix

1 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt caramels with 1/3 c. evaporated milk over low heat. (Unwrapping the caramels is the most tedious part of this recipe.) :)

Combine the melted butter, remaining 1/3 c. evaporated milk and cake mix.

Spread 1/2 the batter into an ungreased 13 X 9" pan. It will be a thin layer. (An offset spatula really helps with this, but you could use the back of a spoon, too.) Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.

{This is how it will look after the first layer has cooked.}

Sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips and pecans.

Spread melted caramels over the chips and nuts.

Drop remaining cake batter on top. (Do not worry...it's supposed to look like this. The batter will spread a little AND you want little rivers of lava flowing through the top.) Bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

{Hellooooo, brownies. Come to Mama...}

One more tip on these...don't overbake them. Better to underbake in my opinion. Gooey is good here. :)

One question for all of you...how to YOU say "caramel?" I say car-mul. Do you say car-a-mul, or care-a-mel? Curious. It's an ongoing debate in our house.

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• toffee blondies
• kitchen must-have: offset spatula
• turtle ice cream pie