Just a little something I whipped up for teachers’ appreciation week at my son’s school…Let me know what you think!

The original recipe “Knock-You-Naked Brownies” was adapted from Food Network’s Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman.  I wasn’t too keen on telling the teachers/administrative staff that I wanted to ‘knock them naked’ with these brownies…so I changed it up a little with my own personal twist on the recipe along with the title, as well 😉

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1/3 (plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk-for caramel)
• One 18.5-ounce box German chocolate cake mix (I used Organics Chocolate Cake Mix, as shown)
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans (Optional)
• 60 caramels, unwrapped (I substituted this with 1 cup Marshmallow Creme, as shown)
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips ( I used caramel-filled chocolate chips, as shown)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-by-9-inch baking pan.
2. Begin by pouring 1/3 cup evaporated milk into a bowl with the cake mix. Add the melted butter and the chopped pecans (optional). Mix the ingredients together; it’ll be pretty thick!
3. Divide the dough in half down the middle. Press half of it into the bottom of the prepared pan to make the first brownie layer. Bake until slightly set, 8 to 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven and set aside.
4. **While the brownie layer is baking, in a double boiler (or glass bowl set over a bowl of simmering water) combine the caramels and the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Stir occasionally until the caramels are totally melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the caramel mixture over the first baked layer, spreading so it’s evenly distributed. Sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top.
   **[If you want to substitute with a marshmallow creme, melt 1 cup of the creme in the microwave for about 30 seconds and pour quickly and evenly onto the first brownie layer)
5. Next, on a clean surface or a sheet of waxed paper, press the remaining dough into a square shape slightly smaller than the baking pan. Carefully set it on top of the chocolate chips. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool to room temperature. Cover the pan and refrigerate the brownies for several hours to allow them to set.
6. When you’re ready to serve them sprinkle generously with the powdered sugar and cut them into large rectangles before removing from the pan.

Enjoy!