Skillet Caramel Brownies are a decadent dessert of rich chocolate brownies and a center layer of gooey caramel. This delicious recipe tastes amazing satisfying all those sweet cravings and are no ordinary baked brownies.
Need more recipes for your dessert cuisine menu? For brownies try our Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie or if it’s caramel you’re after try our Caramel Apple Dump Cake.
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Why we love Skillet Caramel Brownies
If ‘because it’s brownies and caramel’ isn’t a sufficient reason, these caramel brownies are a family favorite, no, a beloved family recipe.
It’s extra special because my grandma used to make these for the family and it was something we all looked forward to.
This isn’t your average boxed brownie mix recipe. Her brownie recipe starts with a German chocolate cake mix, adds evaporated milk, melted butter, and chopped walnuts.
The chopped walnuts give the brownies a bit of a crunchy texture. In the center of the brownies lies a luscious layer of caramel sauce.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cake Mix — use your favorite brand of German chocolate cake mix.
- Caramel — you can use either chewy caramel candies like Kraft caramels, those individually wrapped squares, or caramel bits.
- Pantry Staples — evaporated milk, semi sweet chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts.
- Butter — we recommend using salted butter for greasing the pan and unsalted for the batter, but either will work
How to make Caramel Brownies
Step 1 — Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch skillet with the softened butter.
Step 2 — Add the dry cake mix, 1 cup of evaporated milk, melted butter, and the walnuts to a medium size bowl.
Step 3 — Mix everything together. The batter will be thick and kind of coarse looking.
Step 4 — Add half the batter to the prepared skillet, smooth it out evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.
Step 5— While the brownies are baking, in a medium sauce pan melt the caramels while mixing in ⅓ cup evaporated milk. Stir until well combined creating a thickened sauce.
Step 6 — After baking for 15 minutes, remove the brownies from the oven.
Step 7 — Evenly sprinkle chocolate chips over the half-baked brownies.
Step 8 — Pour the caramel sauce evenly over the chocolate chips, smoothing it out creating a complete layer.
Step 9 — Spoon the remaining brownie batter on top of the caramel layer in dollops. There’s no need to smooth it out. Bake for 25 minutes. Once done, allow it to completely cool before serving.
Adaptations and variations
- Cake mix — you could use a chocolate cake mix, devil’s food, or even a dark chocolate cake mix.
- Chocolate chips — Swap out the semi-sweet for milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips.
- Salt — For salted caramel, sprinkle a bit of kosher salt or flaky sea salt over the caramel before adding the rest of the brownie batter.
- Caramel drizzle — you’ll have a tablespoon or two of evaporated milk left in the can, so reserve a couple of tablespoons of the caramel sauce when creating that layer. Add the remaining evaporated milk to that leftover caramel to thin it. This will make it perfect for drizzling over the cooked brownies, especially when topped with vanilla ice cream.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, they are not crucial to the recipe.
Yes!
Yes, use a microwave safe bowl and on medium power, melt the caramels into the evaporated milk, stopping frequently to stir.
Should you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. You can serve them chilled straight from the fridge or sit them out, allowing them to come to room temperature before serving.
Yes, you can. Use a 9x13, 8x8, or 9x9 baking dish. Complete the recipe in the prepared baking dish the same way as you would in the skillet, including greasing it before adding the batter.
Our favorite tools to make Skillet Caramel Brownies!
Stargazer 10 Inch Cast Iron Skillet
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BuzzyWaxx Original Blend - Cast Iron and Carbon Steel Seasoning
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If you tried these Skillet Caramel Brownies or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Get the Recipe
Skillet Caramel Brownies
Equipment
- 10-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon salted butter softened
- 15.25 oz German chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
- 11 oz caramels squares or bits
- ⅓ cup evaporated milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch skillet with the softened butter.
- Add the dry cake mix, 1 cup of evaporated milk, melted butter, and the walnuts to a medium size bowl. Mix everything together. The batter will be thick and kind of coarse looking.
- Add half the batter to the prepared skillet, smooth it out evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the brownies are baking, in a medium sauce pan melt the caramels while mixing in ⅓ cup evaporated milk. Stir until everything has combined to create a thickened sauce.
- After baking for 15 minutes, remove the brownies from the oven and evenly sprinkle chocolate chips over the half-baked brownies.
- Pour the caramel sauce evenly over the chocolate chips, smoothing it out creating a complete layer..
- Spoon the remaining brownie batter on top of the caramel layer in dollops. There’s no need to smooth it out.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Once done, allow it to completely cool before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Holley
These are the most gooey, delicious, brownies I have ever had! So easy to make and absolutely heavenly!
Dannii
These brownies were incredible. So gooey and delicious.
Andrea
Wow! Ooey, gooey, chocolatey caramel bliss right here! I can't wait to dig in!
Saif
Caramel and chocolate are two of the best combo for brownies. Now I am craving to make one. Thanks for the recipe.
Anjali
Making these skillet brownies out of cake mix was such a great idea!! Mine turned out perfectly, they were gooey, moist, and sweet - everything a brownie should be!
MacKenzie
I made this for a Christmas dessert. Everyone loved it! I can’t wait to make again. Yum!
Beth
These brownies look amazing! I love all that goey caramel, and skillet brownies always have the best texture.
Andrea
These irresistible and delicious brownies are so easy to make. I love that the recipe uses a cake mix and that I can use either type of caramels depending on which one I can find.
Kim
These were perfect for Christmas. We just have appetizers and a dessert and everyone loved these!
Casey
This looks absolutely delicious! I've never had skillet brownies before but I can't wait to try them!
Chenee
Skillet brownies are my favorite, especially in the summer months. You get to enjoy a sweet treat instead of heating up the house with the oven. Yum!
Christian
Love this. I make it all the time. Better served right when done. I usually take ingredients with me and make at party cause of that.
Dutch Oven Daddy
You're so right, hot from the oven is best!