“Oh, Baby” Bars

These brownies. THESE BROWNIES. Chocolate, caramel, pretzels, POTATO CHIPS. There is nothing good for you in them and everything about them is goooood. So. So. Good. They are chewy. They are crunchy. They are salty. They are sweet. They are chocolatey. They are beyoooond decadent and my official favorite brownie in the whole wide world. If you are scared of a potato chip paired with chocolate, I implore you, let me be your guide into the delicious unknown. My own personal obsession with the combo started when I first tried chocolate-covered potato chips at Trader Joes. Sure, it was scary at first, but since that delectable day my life has never been the same. You MUST make chocolate+potato chips a part of your life, otherwise you just aren’t living. You just aren’t.

Now, the reasons I have dubbed these brownies the “Oh, Baby” bar are two fold. The first, because they are a pregnant girl (me) and the baby inside her’s dream bar with all that goodness covering all ends of the craving spectrum with gusto. And the second, because you can’t not utter the worlds “Ohhh, Babyyyy” after trying these suckers. They are something else. I can’t wait for you to try them.

Make the Crust

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9×13 pan. Set aside. In a bowl, mix crumbled pretzels, melted butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Mix until the brown sugar breaks down into small granules and everything is combined. Put mixture into prepared pan and pat down to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake on the middle rack for 6 – 8 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.

Make the Brownies

In a large, microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Microwave in intervals of 1 minute at 50% power until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth, stirring in between intervals. Set a few tablespoons of melted chocolate for drizzling. Whisk the remaining chocolate in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt just until combined. Spread about half of the brownie batter in the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven (keep the oven on!) and let the brownies cool for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the caramel filling, combine the caramels and cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir. Continue the microwave process until the caramels and cream are melted and combined. Immediately spread the caramel mixture over the bottom brownie layer. Scoop the remaining brownie batter in spoonfuls over the caramel layer and spread it evenly across the caramel layer. Cover with potato chips. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with set aside melted chocolate. Let cool completely before slicing and serving. The brownies slice much easier when cooled for an hour or two.

Happy baking!

(And ohhh, baby, are you gonna be HAPPY.)

ox. Liz