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.
I am wondering if I double the recipe, could I then use a 9 x 13 pan?
Probably!
Forgot to ask, if I use the caramel topping, how much do I use? Ours come in like a pint jar size, would I use the whole jar? And add the same amount of milk too?
I’ve never tried this with caramel topping, so I’m not sure.
Finally got this recipe to print today. If a person uses the caramel topping do you still thin with the evaporated milk. For those that used a 9 x 13 pan, did you have to adjust the baking time? Can a person use margarine instead of ‘real’ butter? Need to go to store to get a cake mix. Thanks for your help.
Making these for Super Bowl Sunday. Was going to try doubling to bake in a 9×13 pan…I don’t have a 9×9…
May have some batter left over so cupcakes..no frosting for hubby!
Love this. I make this all the time. My family loves them. But I call them “TURTLE CAKE”. I put nuts in the middle on top of the Carmel & nuts on top.
Other appropriate names for these delightful, deliciousness of Carmel & Brownie
The Amazzing Disappearing Brownie
Or for security reasons
Fort Knox Brownies
Area 51 Brownies
Nuclear silo brownie
Or for me personally – Hi dear nephew, I made you your favorite brownie; and by the way, my car breaks need replacing (insert any mechanical work on you auto – 1 pan is all that is required to entice my exceptionally skilled and overall awesome nephew-man)
We’ve done these since the 80’s. My mom FROZE them, butwe prefer them from the fridge! Makes them sinfully gooey and ah-maz-ing!!!! We do it in a 13×9 though. Never thought about making them thicker!! Even better!
These brownies are sooo good! I did not have a 9×9 pan I only had a 9×13 pan. I was worried that they wouldn’t turn out because the pan was too big.,but they did they were wonderful. Don’t eat to many they are really rich.
I followed this recipe exactly and my batter came out much thinner, like a regular cake batter consistency, not at all like what is shown in the video. They aren’t done yet so I don’t know how they will come out. Any idea why that may have happened?
I’m not sure… did you use regular milk instead of evaporated?
I’m going to try them with white chocolate, and maybe some coconut and pecans