Double Chocolate Fudge Salted Caramel Brownies

Name: Double Chocolate Fudge Salted Caramel Brownies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 190 min
Ingredients: 1 box Pillsbury chocolate fudge brownie mix; 2 eggs; 2/3 c canola oil; 1/4 c hot water; 1/2 c chocolate chips; 4 tbsp butter; 1 cup brown sugar (packed); 1/2 c half and half; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 tsp baking soda

Super chewy double chocolate fudge brownies swirled with the most decadent and easy to make salted caramel. The secret is, these are boxed brownies but I have the tips and tricks for how to make box brownies taste better! Your family will think you made them from scratch, they even have the crinkly top.

Stack of three fudgy brownies on a purple plate.

When you serve up a batch of these to your family, everyone will think these are homemade brownies! Thanks to a few smart tricks you can turn a boring box brownie mix into something special.

So if you want to tell everyone you made these fudgy brownies from scratch, your secret is safe with me.

Hot water, chocolate chips and caramel sauce. That’s what makes them taste better!

Chocolate and caramel always go well together like in this salted caramel chocolate cheesecake.

Subbing out room temp water for super hot water does something magical to the batter. And the addition of the caramel sauce, need I say more? It makes them super chewy, gooey and decadent.

The perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day!

If you want to make a homemade brownie, be my guest, I’ve done it that way too! You can still follow the recipe if so.

I love how these brownies have the crinkled top, the crisp light airy layer we all know and love and hope our brownies have. The inside is moist, ooey, gooey and chewyyyy. You know what I’m talking about!

Which Boxed Brownie Is The Best?

To make life just a bit easier, box brownies are the perfect thing to use.

After trying tons of boxed brownie mixes, I’ve found that the Pillsbury fudge brownie mix has an overall good flavor and texture.

If you added some pecans you could make these into a copycat for those fairy tale brownies, the turtle ones. I love getting those in the mail!

If you are looking for how to make your boxed brownies without eggs make sure to check the frequently asked questions section below.

How To Make Boxed Brownies Taste Better

If you are wondering how to make box brownies taste better than here are a few easy tips.

First is to replace the water in the recipe with steaming hot water. The hot water works like a dream!

Second is to add chocolate chips. Adding in chocolate chips gives the brownies even more chocolate taste.

Last is butter. Adding butter to box brownies gives them a more homemade taste. But since we are putting a homemade caramel sauce in the brownies you don’t need to substitute the oil for butter.

Since the caramel is made with butter you get both the oil and the butter to make it even more decadent.

If that makes sense?

The Caramel Sauce

The caramel is from scratch and you just can’t go wrong that way because it’s beyond easy to make and takes minutes.

If you’re wondering how to make box brownies chewy, this is it it! The caramel sauce makes them so chewy and gooey. Caramel has butter and brown sugar in it, which always makes baked good rich and chewy.

When you add caramel to brownies it can be confusing when exactly they are done, it’s not like your toothpick will come out clean — so I find that baking them to an internal temp of 180 is when they are done.

And then let them cool and set up, which takes a few hours for the perfect texture.

How To Make Fudgy Caramel Box Brownies

To make it easy to remove the brownies from your pan, line a square baking pan with parchment paper. This way you can just lift them out, no sticking! Especially since these have caramel in them.

You’ll mix up your brownie batter and your caramel sauce sepparately.

Pour 3/4 of the brownie batter into the parchment lined square pan, then pour in all of the caramel sauce. End with the rest of the brownie batter on top.

You could even use a knife or toothpick to make some swirl designs in your batter before baking.

A batch of brownies out of the pan, before being cut into squares.

You’ll bake these for 50 minutes at 350 degrees with an internal temperature of 180 degrees.

The caramel sauce can be confusing if you are just using a toothpick to check for doneness because the toothpick will not come out clean. So you’ll want to use a kitchen thermometer.

Take them out of the oven and let them rest. Resting the brownies is such an important step because if you cut into them too quickly they will ooze out everywhere.

Brownies need time to cool and set. They need hours to rest, 2 hours at the very minimum but after many tests I’ve found that 6 hours resting gives the best texture!

FAQ

How long to let brownies cool?

Brownies should cool for at least 2 hours, if you cut in to them too early before they have fully set then they will just fall apart. The batter will still be too soft. They need to come closer to room temperature before they are ready to serve.

Can I use this recipe with premade caramel?

You can, just skip the part where you make the caramel yourself.

Which box brownie is the best?

The Pilsbury chocolate fudge brownie mix, I’ve found to be a really good one.

How to get the crinkle on top of brownies?

It’s a lot easier to get the crinkle on the top of brownies when using a box.

How can I make boxed brownies without eggs?

Eggs act as a binder so you’ll need something to replace this. Chia egg is a great substitute and a go to for my sister-in-law. Mix 1 tbsp chia seeds with 3 tbsp water and let it sit for 5 minutes and you’ll have a chia egg! It has a gooey texture and works well for brownies.

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