Take 5 Brownies

Bake the milk chocolate brownies as directed on box. Make sure to use a 9×13 pan (line the bottom of the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and make sure that some foil hangs over the ends of the pan so that you can use it as a handle). Follow baking instructions for that size of pan. When they are done, allow them to cool completely.

Combine the crunchy peanut butter with the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Beat until combined. Then spread it evenly over the cooled brownies.

Arrange pretzels over top of the peanut butter in a single layer. Sprinkle milk chocolate chips over top of pretzels and set aside.

Prepare caramel topping: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and stir, making sure all of the sugar is dissolved. Stir 5-10 minutes more, until caramel is thick and bubbly (about 230 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pour the caramel evenly over the brownies. Run the tip of a knife or the back of a spoon over the top in swirl patterns to create a design. Refrigerate pan for about 1 hour to set. Then remove brownies from the pan by lifting the foil handles and cut into bars.

Note: These are rich, so in this case less is more. I’d cut 4 columns down the short end, and 8 rows down the long end to make 32 bars. Also, I like to cut the edges off first. This is totally optional, but it makes the bars look nicer!

This is an original recipe. Caramel Topping recipe adapted from What’s Gaby Cooking.