Evening Treat

I decided that while Rob was out tonight with his dad and brothers, I'd make a little welcome home treat.  We had a huge leftover tub of vanilla ice cream (courtesy of Johnny and Sierra) and since most (myself not included) people think brownies and ice cream go hand in hand, I decided to whip up some carmel brownies.

Photo "borrowed" from link below

Recipe adapted from HERE  

1 cup butter

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped (optional)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

14 ounces caramels (it is usually one bag)

1/4 cup heavy cream

In microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter together. Start at 1 minute, check and stir, and continue until melted. Watch closely to not burn! Then whisk in sugar, eggs and vanilla until incorporated. Add flour and salt. Spread half of the batter into a 9x13 greased pan. Bake for 18 minutes at 350. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes. While the brownies are cooling, melt in the microwave caramels and cream. Make sure to stir every minute of so. Immediately spread caramel layer over brownie layer. Sprinkle chocolate chips (and pecans). Then top with remaining brownie layer. Bake for another 20 minutes. Let cool before serving. 

Simple enough, right?  Wrong.  Since I didn't have any caramels, I just figured I'd use caramel ice cream topping - because, they're basically the same... or so I thought. 

I ended up with caramel, brownie soup. 

The good news is caramel, brownie soup DOES go pretty well with ice cream...almost like a molten chocolate cake.  And Rob thought it was divine. Double bonus.

***I should add that I WILL be making these again - the correct way, because after cooling and setting a bit more, they were sooooooo good!***

BDEM: My mom (Grammy as some call her) took everyone to Cornbelly's - the local halloween/fall hotspot.  There was tons of stuff to jump on, plenty of carved pumpkins to admire, lots and lots of hay, and enough corn to give Indiana a run for its money.  Don't believe me?  Can you SWIM in corn in Indiana?  Didn't think so.  

Oh, and just so you know....I didn't really Google whether or not you can swim in corn in Indiana.  So if you DO find a place where this is possible - keep that information to yourself.  Just let me have this one. A girls gotta win every once in a while, right?