These Basement Brownies, also known as the best chocolate caramel brownies, are a big time favorite on RecipeGirl.com.
Watch the short video showing you how to make these Basement Brownies, then you can scroll down to the bottom to print out the complete recipe and make them yourself!
They’re so easy to make, and there is a great story behind them!
I love a recipe with a good story behind it. My family was recently visiting my brother and sister-in-law in beautiful Colorado. As usual with my snoopy nature, I scoured my sister-in-law Sarah’s personal recipes with hopes of finding some new treasures to try. These Basement Brownies caught my eye!
These Chocolate- Caramel brownies are called Basement Brownies because when Sarah was a little girl… she used to make them for her Dad, who used to sneak these brownies into the basement to hide them so he could have them all for himself.
The name, “Basement Brownies” has stuck! Don’t you love that?!
You’ve gotta love a recipe with only 5 ingredients. Super simple. They start with a boxed mix… which is not usually my style of baking, but these brownies turn out so awesome that you can’t even tell it starts with a box.
And sometimes starting with a boxed mix is just what we need in our busy day-to-day lives! It’s okay to take short-cuts once in a while.
How to Make Basement Brownies:
The caramels are melted with a little bit of evaporated milk to create a caramel sauce. Sarah says that in-a-pinch she has also used jarred caramel sauce in place of melting your own.
The cake mix is simply combined with evaporated milk and butter. A portion of the batter is slightly baked, then topped with chocolate chips and caramel, then topped with more batter and baked again.
The result is not so impressive-looking, right? Just you wait…!!
The inside brownie part is slightly gooey, and there are two layers in there that can put anyone into a delightful sugar coma: one layer of melted chocolate chips and one layer of ooey caramel too.
Oh YEAH. Basement brownies. After a few bites of these, I can completely understand how they got their name.
And here’s the culprit right here. This handsome guy is Sarah’s Dad, the brownie lover who gave these guys their deserved name– brownies-so-good-you’ve-gotta-hide-them-in-the-basement! We understand. Completely.
Thanks, Sarah… for a great recipe!
Here are a few more brownie recipes you might enjoy:
Basement Brownies
Ingredients
- 50 caramels, unwrapped
- One 15.25-ounce box German chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup evaporated milk, divided
- 3/4 cup (1½ sticks) salted butter, melted
- 12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x9-inch pan.
- Melt caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until caramels have completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, remaining 2/3 cup evaporated milk and butter. Mix by hand until batter is smooth and combined.
- Pour a little over 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes only and then remove from the oven. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top of the partially cooked brownie. Drizzle caramel on top of the chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter on top. You probably won't have enough to cover the caramel completely.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 18 to 20 minutes until the brownies feel fairly set on top and the edges are lightly browned and crisp. Let the brownies cool completely before cutting. The longer they have time to cool, the more they will firm up.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use any cake mix?
Probably!
Hey Recipe girl, I would love to make this recipe and send to my soldier, however, will they still be good if I freeze them, and by the time they arrive, they’ll be just as great as if they were just made? Any suggestions on how to ship them?
Unfortunately, I’m not sure if this is the best recipe for shipping. They are so good, but the caramel might make them not have a great shelf life.
You got me at the caramels and evaporated milk! Question… Do you thin the canned milk with water or just straight out of the can?
You do not need to thin the milk- just follow the recipe as directed.
cant find bag of original Kraft caramels. Does anyone know an approximate weight of the caramels?
14 ounces– a 14-ounce bag has about 50 caramels.
Which shelf in the oven should these caramel brownies be baked?
This Wisconsin dairy land girl forgot the butter. I actually think this might be considered a sin ? None the less they still turned out great. I can eat the whole pan now right?? Thanks for the great recipe.
Recipe girl, I only have unsalted butter. Should I add a pinch of salt or does it make a difference?
Yes, just a pinch should be fine!
Been making this for years. It is often requested by my adult kids for their birthday cake. Making one now for my daughter’s 31st tomorrow. I used the triple chocolate cake mix and also Frost it with milk chocolate frosting. Amazing.
To put these over the top, yes it is hard to believe you can, cut brownies in portions, freeze and here it is – dip them completely in Ghiradelli dark chocolate melting wafers.
Thanks for the tip!
These look so very very good. If I used jarred caramel sauce, how much (in cups) would I need to use? Would I heat up the jarred caramel sauce and do I still need to add the milk? Would love to hapear back as soon as you get a chance.
Thank you so much. By the way, I love your recipes!!
Hi Cathy, I don’t have an exact measurement for you. You can just kind of eyeball it and drizzle caramel over the top. No milk needed if you use sauce. Good luck!