| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 20 brownies |
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the baking dish
- Two 18.3-ounce boxes fudge brownie mix
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
- 5 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups crushed pretzel slims (about 3 cups whole slims), plus 20 whole slims, for topping
- Whipped cream, for serving
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Coarse salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- For the brownies: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- Whisk together the brownie mix and cayenne in a large bowl. Add the vegetable oil, eggs and 1/2 cup water and stir until just combined; do not overmix. Stir in the crushed pretzels. Spread the mixture in the prepared dish and top with the whole pretzels in a 4-by-5 grid. Bake until the brownies are puffed and a tester inserted about 2 inches from the edge comes out with a few crumbs, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool on a rack.
- For the caramel: Put the sugar in a small saucepan, drizzle with 2 tablespoons water and set over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar melts. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally so the edges don’t burn, until the sugar syrup is a dark amber, about 8 minutes.
- Whisk in the butter, then the cream. Return to a simmer, just to combine, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla. Pour the caramel into a spouted glass measuring cup and let cool until the mixture is thick enough to drizzle, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Drizzle the caramel over the brownies and sprinkle lightly with the coarse salt. Let cool completely in the baking dish before cutting into squares, each with a whole pretzel on top. Serve topped with whipped cream.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 20 servings |
| Calories | 498 |
| Total Fat | 27 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 60 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 31 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 54 mg |
| Sodium | 379 mg |
Reviews
This recipe is overall a winner! I leave out the crushed pretzels because it’s just not necessary and can make the brownie a bit dry I think. I swirl a few teaspoons of peanut butter throughout the batter before baking- extra yummy! My family and friends LOVE these! Also if you can find the little square Hanover butter pretzels they taste better than the pretzel flats and allow you to cut brownies into serving sizes easier.
Loved this recipe. I made single batch in smaller pan, used my favorite box mix. I skipped adding pretzels to batter when others said that messed with texture. The pretzels on top do get soft after a couple days, but if you make this for a few people you won’t have leftovers. I successfully made the caramel which I was nervous about. I can’t wait to make this again for a bigger group.
I made these for a 4th of July party and they were fabulous and a huge hit. They were so moist and gooey with the caramel on top. Everyone loved the salty crunch that the pretzels gave when they bit into the brownie. I cut the brownies before I added the caramel so that the caramel would drip down inside the brownies. Just added more gooey deliciousness.
I wanted to like these so much….but alas, they were very very dry. Will not make them again.
My Carmel didn’t come out right. So it’s prob my fault. But I didn’t care for this recipe mostly because the crushed up pretzels on the inside of the brownies gave an odd soggy texture.
Soups
Great!
These are very good. I believe that adding the pretzels into the brownie mix dries it out a little too much. If we make this again, we will skip that step.
Could you use Carmel in the jar for topping?
Awesome yumminess!!