Hi friends! Today I'm sharing one of my all-time favorite desserts: Million Dollar Brownies!

What exactly are million dollar brownies?

These decadent fudgy brownies are filled with chocolate, crunchy nuts, and a creamy caramel filling. YUM!

These brownies can also be referred to as caramel brownies or turtle brownies.

MILLION DOLLAR CARAMEL BROWNIES (EASY RECIPE!)

Name: Million Dollar Caramel Brownies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 23 min
Total time: 38 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 German Chocolate cake mix; 1/2 cup butter, melted; 2/3 cup evaporated milk, divided; 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional; 1 cup milk chocolate chips; 1 1/2 {14oz} packages of caramels - or about 60 caramels

These yummy caramel brownies are a recipe that I remember my aunt making as a kid.

We got the recipe from her and made them occasionally. It was always a special treat, since we didn't get them very often.

As an adult, I don't make millionaire brownies very often either. That's because, when it comes to this decadent dessert, I have NO self control! Like, at all. I will eat them until they are gone.

Brownies we made often growing up include rocky road brownies and brownies with white frosting.

Homemade brownies were classics in our home and next week (or maybe tomorrow) after you've finished off the pan of caramel brownies, you can try one of them.

Update 2-15-23: This recipe was originally published in 2017. I decided to update it with some new pictures and a video tutorial. The recipe remains the same.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR CARAMEL BROWNIE RECIPE

German chocolate cake mix
evaporated milk
butter
milk chocolate chips
caramels
chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Since the base of these brownies is a cake mix, they are really easy to make. The most time consuming part is unwrapping all of the caramels.

Nuts are completely optional. My kids don't care for the nuts, so I often make them without (as you can tell in most of the pictures). If you're going for a turtle brownie, then add them.

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HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS

mixing bowls
2 quart glass pan

A note about the pan I use. My pan measures 8 X 11.5. Any two quart baking dish will work even if the dimensions are not exactly the same.

The reason I like it is because of the thickness of brownie it produces.

You can use a 9 X 13 pan. It will be a little harder to spread the batter over the whole pan. It won't need to bake as long either. Take 1 minute off the initial baking time and 2 minutes off the final baking time.

HOW TO MAKE CARAMEL BROWNIES

Let's get started making these caramel filled brownies.

The brownie batter is really easy. In a large bowl add a German chocolate cake mix. Add 1/2 cup of melted butter, 1/3 cup of evaporated milk and 1 cup of nuts, if desired. Stir with a wooden spoon just until combined.
Take half of the chocolate mixture and spread it into the bottom of a greased 8 X 11.5 pan. (use a 9 X 13 if you don't have that size, and see notes above.)

Make sure you grease the pan well including the sides of the pan so the yummy caramel doesn't stick.

half of the chocolatey brownie batter in a glass pan

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE THE CARAMEL FILLING

While the brownies are baking, let's make the caramel filling.

Place all of the unwrapped caramels in a microwave safe medium bowl. Pour 1/3 cup of evaporated milk on top and cover with plastic wrap.

(I like to unwrap the caramel candies very first before I start the brownie batter)

collage depicting how to make caramel filling

Microwave for 2-3 minutes. Stir after every minute!

Once caramel is softened, stir until the milk is fully incorporated into the caramel.

This may seem like it won't come together. Just keep stirring, it will become smooth and creamy.

If you have some stubborn caramel chunks, microwave another 30-60 seconds to soften them.

Once the bottom layer of brownie has baked for 8 minutes, pull the pan from the oven. The batter will not be done yet, but we are adding the other layers now.

Sprinkle 1 cup of chocolate chips (I like milk chocolate) over the brownie.

Next spread the gooey caramel on top.

flattening out pieces of batter to place on top of the caramel layer

Now we need to add the top layer of brownie. I grab small piece of the batter and flatten it out in my hands. Then I place it on top of the caramel layer.

Repeat with the remaining batter. It's ok if there is a little bit of caramel poking through, just cover it as best you can.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting.
Most desserts are yummy right from the oven. These chocolate caramel brownies are good warm, but they really shine once the layers have set. So be patient, it's so worth it.

Cover brownies with plastic wrap, or store in an airtight container.