Recipe makes 12 brownies. Total time 5 hours (including cooling time). Active time 40 minutes.

Ingredients:

For the caramels:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups light corn syrup 
• One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup unsalted butter  (1 stick), plus ½ teaspoon for the greasing pan
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the brownies:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) 
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon Maldon salt or other flaky sea salt 
• 1½ cups Homemade Caramels (see above), or 4.5 ounces Werther’s soft caramels, cut in half
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, for greasing the pan

Directions:

1. For the homemade caramels (makes about 110 caramels): Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with about  ½ teaspoon of butter. Line the dish with parchment paper, folding at the corners of the dish so that the parchment covers the sides.
2. Melt the remaining  ½ cup butter in a medium-sized heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sugar, corn syrup, and salt while stirring constantly. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the sweetened condensed milk and the cream to the mixture. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot so that the tip of the thermometer is in the liquid but not touching any part of the pot. Continue to stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture reaches 240°F to 245°F. This should take 15 to 20 minutes. If you feel the mixture sticking, reduce the heat to medium-low or low. The liquid will begin to bubble and will begin to turn a golden-brown caramel color.
4. Once the thermometer reads 240°F to 245°F, turn off the heat and immediately pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Let the caramel cool uncovered until it reaches room temperature, at least 1 ½ hours.
5. Remove the caramel from the pan and cut it into 1-inch pieces. The caramels are now ready to add to the brownie mixture. Measure out 1 ½ cups of caramels for the brownies. There will be extra caramels. They can be eaten right away, or wrapped individually in parchment paper squares and stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
6. For the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with vegetable oil and line the bottom and sides with parchment.
7. Place the butter in a large heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water until melted. Add the sugar, cocoa, and kosher salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved and everything is well mixed. This should take about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and move the bowl to a heat-proof surface.
8. Stir in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until the mixture looks silky. Add the flour gradually and stir until the batter is uniform in texture. Scrape the edges and bottom of the bowl. Mix for another minute to ensure there are no remaining lumps of flour.
9. Pour one third of the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it out with a rubber spatula. There should be enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan in a thin, even layer. Bake for 10 minutes, until the batter is barely starting to firm on top.
10. Remove the pan from the oven. Scatter all of the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the partially baked batter. Arrange the caramels evenly over the top of the chocolate chip layer. Spoon the remaining batter over the top and gently spread it out evenly with a spatula. Be sure to cover the caramels and chocolate chips completely.
11. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until the top is just starting to firm up and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with very moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the flaky salt on top.
12. Let the brownies cool completely, 2 to 3 hours. Carefully pull the parchment and brownies from the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into 12 squares and serve.

Recipe from The Ranch Table Cookbook and featured on Ranch To Table Season 4 Episode 7: "Carnitas and Brownies" on the Magnolia Network.

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

Photographs by BJ Golnick and Brian Skope