Last updated on June 1st, 2022 at 11:23 am
Growing up we always called these caramel brownies. But honestly, they aren’t really like brownies in texture at all. The flavor might be similar, but they’re more like German chocolate caramel bars. And so the name has changed to better reflect the true recipe.
The main part of this is much denser than a brownie. And it involves multiple layers. The first layer is a dense German chocolate cake mix which is then topped with chocolate chips and melted caramel and finally topped with another layer of German chocolate cake mix.
At some point in my teenage years, this became the go-to dessert for my family for a while. And then once I left home I kind of forgot about them for a while.
But these were a staple in the house – especially around the holidays when we would make and give them away to friends and neighbors. And, of course, when I say we I really mean my mom and my older sister would tend to make them.
Until now! I have finally learned the secrets. The gooey caramel and chocolate secrets.
Rolling Out the Dough
In order to make this recipe, we’ll start off by melting caramels with sea salt and evaporated milk.
Next, begin mixing the German chocolate cake mixes together with just enough liquid to turn it into a sort of dough. Almost like playdough. Or, to me, it kind of looks like what tootsie rolls would be made of.
This will then be used to make both the bottom and the top layers of the caramel bars. Originally the recipe only called for one cake mix and my mom would just press half the dough into the bottom of the pan. Then for the top layer kind of hand press the dough together and lay it on top in sections.
Now we use two cake mixes and we use parchment paper to help roll both the top and bottom layers of these German chocolate caramel bars.
Just cut out two large pieces of parchment paper, place about half the dough between the two pieces, and then roll and flatten it out. Get it into approximately a rectangular shape about the size of the 9 x 13 baking dish. Place that into the baking dish.
Repeat again for the second half of the dough and use it as the top layer after putting down chocolate chips and melted caramel.
Hints for Chocolate Caramel Bars
It took a long time for me to find the caramels for this recipe. I almost resorted to trying to make my salted caramel sauce and maybe cook it to a different stage to get the right consistency. My mom ended up finding some and bringing them to me. But try looking for caramels in either the candy section or the baking aisle near the chocolate chips.
Or you can even look into buying caramels online.
You’ll want to have milk ready for this.
It is a sugary, gooey, chocolatey treat that just begs to be paired with a glass of milk to wash it down. Trust me. Or, even better, maybe pair warm chocolate caramel bars with creamy vanilla bean ice cream.
And you can add nuts to the caramel bars as an option at the same time as adding the chocolate chips to the baking dish.
How did yours turn out?
I’d love to hear when you try out these German chocolate caramel bars! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.
Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.
Super Gooey German Chocolate Caramel Bars
Course: DessertDifficulty: Intermediate15
servings20
minutes20
minutes40
minutesGooey caramel and chocolate chips layered between German chocolate cake mixes make delicious chocolate caramel bars nobody can resist
Ingredients
17 ounces unwrapped caramels
1 cup evaporated milk, divided
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 boxes German chocolate cake mix, 15.25 ounces each
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 and 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C)
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt together the caramels, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and sea salt while stirring occasionally until fully melted
- While the caramel is melting, combine both cake mixes, 2/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter in a mixing bowl and mix until fully combined into a dough
- Roll out half of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 9×13 size
- Place the rolled out half into the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish and bake for about 4 minutes until slightly puffed
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and sprinkle it with the chocolate chips in an even layer
- Pour the melted caramel mixture on top of the chocolate chips as evenly as possible
- Roll out the other half of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to approximately 9×13 size
- Place the rolled out dough on top of the caramel, put it in the oven, and bake it for an additional 15-18 minutes
- Remove the chocolate caramel bars from the oven and let them cool completely so that the caramel can set before cutting them into squares and serving
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