Caramel Pecan Brownie Bars

Whenever I am asked to bring dessert to a party or pitch in, my go-to contribution is almost always some variation of a brownie or bar. Quick and easy to make, easy to transport and easy to eat without even as much as a napkin, brownies and bars are equal parts practical and popular! My husband and I are brownie purists – we only like the slightest chocolate chunk to lace our brownies and nothing else.  No nuts, no frosting, nothing. Oh, and we like them chilled.  As it turns out, chilling brownies can lead to unfortunate consequences, particularly when you break our pure brownie law, which leads me to this month’s feature recipe: Caramel Pecan Brownie Bars.

Here’s the setting: my husband and I are in the midst of our wedding week.  Family is arriving, we are practicing our first dance in the driveway, there’s a checklist of things to do before the big day. It’s a time of excitement and happiness and all things good.  In anticipation of our visitors, I whipped up a batch of Caramel Pecan Brownie Bars – knowing that my father-in-law to be and my own father were big fans of the recipe. They were, of course, a big hit, and each night my father-in-law would sneak an extra square as he walked out the door.  Well one night, the brownies had been put in the refrigerator (see above).  Per the routine, my father-in-law was searching for his square for the road.  As he found a napkin and began cutting his piece I warned him, “let that warm up a little bit before you eat it, the caramel probably got hard in the fridge!”  He acknowledged me and continued on his merry way.  Not 30 seconds after the front door closed, he returned and asked, “do you guys have the number to your dentist?”  That’s right, instead of heeding my warning my father in law had bit right into the cold brownie, only to crack a tooth!  The next day he was rushing to the dentist to have an emergency repair before our rehearsal dinner that night.  He still gets ragged about his childlike impatience, and I have a strict “no chilling” rule when it comes to these brownies.

Caramel Pecan Brownie Bars

Ingredients

• Your favorite chocolate cake mix
• 1/3 cup organic sweetened condensed milk
• 1 stick organic butter, melted
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 – Endangered Species Chocolate Dark Chocolate filled with Sea Salt and Caramel Bars (6 oz)
• (optional) Endangered Species Chocolate Dark Chocolate Spread

Directions

• Line a 9X9 baking dish with non-stick foil (for easy removal)
• Mix chocolate cake mix with sweetened condensed milk, melted butter and chopped pecans
• Press half of the cake mixture into the pan and bake at 350 F for 7 minutes
• Remove from oven. Break chocolate bars into squares and scatter across the top of the bottom brownie layer
• Form the remaining cake mix into the shape of your pan, and place on top of the chocolate, gently pressing to connect each layer
• Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes
• Once cooled, top with a thin layer of Chocolate spread (optional)
• Enjoy! (at room temperature)