Twix Caramel Brownies: Why My Coworkers Love Me!

I like to joke that the only reason my coworkers like me is because I make good food to bring in & share with them. They say it's not true, but I think they are actually nicer to me when I do bring in food... they certainly tell me they love me more often. ;)

This recipe is something that's been on my mind since shortly after I made Butterfinger Brownies. I wanted to make them as soon as I found the recipe, but wound up waiting til after Christmas. (We had wayyyyy too many goodies in the house during Christmas, especially considering I wasn't eating many sweets.) This is something that's great for me to take into work & share with my Mama & little brother, for a couple reasons. 1) they all love things like this & 2) Nate is not a huge fan of things like this, so I get some & the rest doesn't go to waste!

These were a huge hit. I left 4 in a dish at home, and took the rest to work. There were only about 6 left when I got out of work, to take to Mama's. They are very rich, but not as strong cocoa flavor as a lot of other brownies. (Which is my biggest complaint about homemade brownies.) The caramel topping really adds to the brownie, too.

I didn't make many changes--some small changes in the actual process, but those don't affect the  brownies. I don't measure the caramel, I just drizzled it on til it looked right, and I think I used a little more Twix than the original.

If you are looking for something sweet, try these! Let me know what you think!

Remember, comments are love!
 
  

Sorry for the bad picture. :(

Twix Caramel Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter/margarine, melted
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 Twix candy bars, chopped (Do not chop too finely, or it won't be noticable! I left mine in 1/4-1/2" chunks)
• Caramel ice cream topping (I used the Smucker's Sundae Syrup; easy to drizzle!)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 9”x13” pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cocoa; stir until well blended.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; slowly add to mixer. Stir in Twix candy bar chunks by hand. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Drizzle caramel evenly over the brownies. Using a toothpick, swirl caramel into brownies. 
5. Bake for 35-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool brownies completely in pan on a wire rack. Once cool, cut into squares and serve.

Yield/Time

24 brownies

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 35-50 minutes

Source (for original): Two Peas & Their Pod (Really, you should check out this blog. I have found quite a few amazing recipes from here!)

Homemade Werther's Caramels

I am usually up for the challenge of making something new, so when my big brother requested that I make homemade Werther's, I decided to give it a shot. 

I've had other homemade caramels before--the soft, chewy kind. I honestly wasn't fond of the flavor of those, so I was a little nervous about making some myself. Then I found a recipe that said they tasted like the hard Werther's candies, so I was off to the store to get some cream! (The only thing it required that I don't usually have in my cupboards.)

These things were definitely a hit! They are very hard--at first, then they soften in your mouth. The taste is perfect. They taste just like Werther's. (And now, typing about them, I'm going to have to go get one; please excuse me....) 

I knew I wasn't going to see my big brother for awhile, so I had originally planned on just making another batch closer to when I was going to see him.... but then I decided to surprise him and mail out a care package! He was pretty happy too; but I'm not sure if he was more excited about the caramels or the picture his nephew colored for him!

My only complaint is how hard they are to cut. I let them cool too long, not realizing they would get as hard as they did, and couldn't cut them easily. (It turned into a long, painful process.) When making these, I would recommend scoring them early on in the hardening process, or cutting early. (Similar to what many people do with hard candy.) 

Aside from that, I won't change anything for next time. I think I will try one of the soft caramel chew recipes in the future, but these are most definitely on my make-again list!

Remember, comments are love!

Caramels

Ingredients

• 3 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup butter
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a 3 quart (or larger) pan, (Note: I used a 3 quart saucepan, and was afraid it was going to boil over. It never did, but it had me nervous the whole time) melt butter over low heat. 
2. Once melted, add sugar, corn syrup, cream, and salt. Insert candy thermometer (making sure not to touch the bottom of the pan), and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. 
3. (While boiling, grease a medium cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil.)
4. Once it comes to a full boil, swirl the pot slightly but do not stir. Boil to hard ball stage, 250° - 266°. Remove from heat, then add in vanilla.
5. Pour immediately into greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool slightly, then score with oiled knife or pizza cutter. Wrap in wax paper (if desired), store at room temperature.

Yield/Time

1 hour

Source (for original): Instructables