Homemade brownies are such a guilty pleasure for me, especially with this Better Than Anything Brownies recipe.
This cake mix dessert has a wonderful chocolatey taste with the texture of a fudgy texture cake brownie. They are caramel brownies unlike you have ever tasted before and so much better than box mix brownies.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Better Than Anything Brownies, you will need the following ingredients:
- German chocolate cake mix
- Evaporated milk
- Caramels
- Butter
- Chocolate chips
- Heath toffee bits
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to make Better Than Anything Brownies
- Pre heat oven to 350℉.
- Mix dry cake mix, melted butter and ⅓ cup evaporated milk together. (Do not make cake according to package directions).
- Press ½ of mix into a 9 x 13 inch greased pan.
- Bake for 6 minutes. Remove brownies from oven and sprinkle on half the bag of Heath toffee bits.
- Melt together caramels and rest of the evaporated milk, pour over toffee bits.
- Sprinkle on half the bag of chocolate chips. Spread the remaining batter on top (this is easiest if you take pieces of the batter, flatten each individual piece in your hands and place on top)
- Sprinkle remaining toffee bits and chocolate chips on top.
- Bake again for 20 minutes.
- Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.
Storage Suggestions
If you manage to have any leftover Bars + Brownies, these can store well if prepped appropriately. Once they have cooled completely, here is how you can store it:
- Refrigerator: Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.
- Freezer: To freeze, make sure bars and brownies are completely cooled and unfrosted. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (or Press & Seal) and then place in a freezer-safe bag or container. For easier portioning, wrap individual squares before freezing. Don’t forget to label with the date. They’ll stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Enjoy More Delicious Brownies Recipes
There’s nothing better than an easy brownie or bar recipe. Check out our comprehensive list of brownies, bars, and blondies here.
Better Than Anything Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 package German chocolate cake mix
- 5 ounces evaporated milk
- 14 ounces caramels, 1 bag
- ¾ cup melted butter
- 1 bag milk chocolate chips
- 8 ounces heath toffee bits, 1 bag
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 350℉.
- Mix dry cake mix, melted butter and ⅓ cup evaporated milk together. (Do not make cake according to package directions).
- Press ½ of mix into a 9 x 13 inch greased pan.
- Bake for 6 minutes. Remove brownies from oven and sprinkle on half the bag of Heath toffee bits.
- Melt together caramels and rest of the evaporated milk, pour over toffee bits.
- Sprinkle on half the bag of chocolate chips. Spread the remaining batter on top (this is easiest if you take pieces of the batter, flatten each individual piece in your hands and place on top)
- Sprinkle remaining toffee bits and chocolate chips on top.
- Bake again for 20 minutes.
- Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
OH my…….I feel a little faint. I wonder if my boss will take the excuse that I need to leave work to go home and make these brownies???? Think he would buy it???
These look so yummy but this part of the directions doesnt make sense…. “Place flattened pieces of remaining brownie batter over the top.” Can someone explain for me?
These sound delicious. But I too was wondering on the directions…so do I leave some of the brownie batter out of the first bake time? Thanks for the recipe.
I am so sorry about that! I fixed the recipe directions. Hope that helps!
What kind of caramels did you use?
Oh man, these are the epitome of ooey gooey brownies. But I have one question: how come they aren’t in my kitchen right now?! 🙂
Oh these look so delicious! I can’t wait to make them! Thanks for all the great receipes your blog has to offer!
Oh my goodness, these look super yum!
I love your site! I am a big fan and follower. That is why I am giving you the One Lovely Blog and Very Inspiring Blogger Award! You can check it out here http://domesticrandomness.blogspot.com/2012/07/one-lovely-blog-and-very-inspiring.html
Hi Carly,
I just use a 14 oz. bag of Kraft Caramels. Thanks!
Hi Amber,
Sorry for the confusion! I have fixed it in the description, but yes, you will leave half of the brownie batter out of the first bake time. Thanks for your question!
Thank you so much for stopping by and for the award! We are so flattered!
These look great and my husband loves brownies. I wonder if you can use caramel sauce in place of the candies and evaporated milk? Thats what I have on hand so I will give it a try. Thanks for the recipe.
Alright this might be a silly question but am I supposed to make the german cake batter first and then add the addition ingrediants, melted butter and evaporated milk, or is it just the dry cake mix?
I’m wondering the same thing?
Hi!
Just add the cake mix to the melted butter and evaporated milk. Hope you like them!
I hate heath, can I use something else? these sound soooo good!
Can’t wait to try this! Carmel, Heath pieces and brownie wow!
I have made these for years, but I use english walnuts not Heath bits. They are awesome. The top half of the cake mix, I just drop it on in pieces. I don’t flatten them out. They turn out great. Easy to make & taste great! The hardest part is unwrapping all the caramels……
I am not sure why but mine didn’t come out that well. Neither in looks and nor in taste. The ingredients all sound good but maybe this time I will try with Chocolate cake, instead of german chocolate cake.
I have used this recipe with just chocolate chips and have never used Heath. They are always a hit. My husband, however, is looking forward to trying it with the Heath chips 🙂
I have made this recipe for years, but called it Turtle Cake. And I use pecans instead of the Heath bits. I have seen other Turtle Cake recipes that called for making the cake as directed on the box, but I like this because it is more of a brownie than cake.
Do they need to stay refrigerated after the initial 3 hours
These r delicious!!! I couldn’t wait for them to cool (let alone anotherr 3 hours in the fridge) so I tried them while they were still warm. So good. Wondering if I should even put them in the fridge now!? Not sure it would make them taste any better. Decisions decisions. HELP!?
I Just Used The 11Oz Bag Of Caramels Bits From The Baking Aisle Near The Chocolate Chips….Super Easy…No Unwrapping And Melts Quicker.
I have been making these for 30+ years! These brownies, by far, are the best dessert ever. I use walnuts instead of the toffee, but I imagine they would taste delicious!!!! I have a problem waiting for them to cool too, so I usually have a scoop right out of the oven and then let them cool.
Do you make the German cake mix according the package or just add the dry mix to the rest of the ingredients?
Just add it in dry, do not make according to the package directions. Sorry that is a little confusing.
I saw these in your cookbook and I just made these last night and they were a hit!! My new favorite brownie for sure!! Everyone I shared them with are drooling from all the yumminess!!
I made these today and they caramel/evaporated milk part seems still very liquid after chilling. Are they supposed to hold together like a “real” brownie? I used Werthers soft caramels- 2 x 5.5oz bags and Carnation evaporated milk. Maybe because I used less caramel than called for? (Didn’t pay attention when purchasing supplies.) If they are supposed to be super-gooey and not really bars, I guess I did okay. Was hoping to cut them and send them to hubby’s work tomorrow, but may have to just send the dish if they don’t solidify more by morning.
The caramel/evaporated milk mixture should not be way runny when the recipe is finished. We used Kraft caramels. Not sure how they compare to Werthers. You may need to have more caramel. You are a few ounces short. Ours held together like a brownie.
I sure would love to make this but I don’t like German chocolate cake, could I use another chocolate
I just made these for the first time, followed directions exactly as given and they turned out FANTASTIC ! Definitely a keeper – thank you !
Delicious. Couldn’t stop eating. I would emphasize on the recipe that it’s one SMALL can, not one can. It’s hard to find the 5oz can of evaporated milk. I just read one can and almost poured in the whole thing. If you can only find a large can it would be nice to have exact measurements instead of just, “mix remainder”
Sorry about that. 1/3 cup is equal to 5 1/3 Tablespoons of liquid. (Which is almost 3 ounces – about half of the small can.)
I tried it with regular chocolate cake mix & the chocolate overpowered the caramel & toffee. So I would recommend either increasing the caramel or adding salt to the caramel to help it stand out more.
I have a fairly similar recipe that I’ve been making for about 20+ years. When I first started making them the cake mixes were 18.25 oz and now they are 15.25 oz. Have you noticed a difference in the bars since the change?
This recipe is for the 15.25 ounce cake mix.
This is my all time favorite go-to recipe when asked to make a dessert. It ALWAYS gets oohhs and aahhs it’s so delicious! I found an easy way to add the top half of remaining brownie dough. I roll it out on wax paper to 9 x 13 size and then just invert it over the partially cooked brownie that you have added toffee chips, caramel, and chocolate chips to. It sticks to the ingredients beneath and easily peels off the wax paper leaving a fully covered smooth brownie. Then add remaining toffee and chocolate chips and finish baking. Also, since caramel bags are smaller now, I count out 50 caramels from 2 bags and it works out perfectly. Then you have leftovers to add to another bag for your next batch. This recipe is always a win win! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks for sharing your helpful tips.
I doubled these for a half sheet pan. I also used Kraft caramel bits & rolled the top out between two pieces of wax paper to lay on top. Super easy recipe!
The best brownies I’ve ever had, they are addicting I love them.one thing I did do was lay out parchment paper and put the top layer on that. Then I laid another on top and took a rolling pin to flatten it. Took off top parchment and flipped it over the top. It actually worked really well.
I’m a dollar store fan and they have the evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk,cake mix. Insteon a bag of carmels I bought 2 sweetened condensed milks and did the 5 hour crock pot on high. It makes a thicker layer of Carmel. And although they are not 1 dollar anymore 2 cans at 1.25 are still cheaper than Kraft carmels .
I’m not a big fan of sweets, or chocolate (GASP!!!) but my husband is – and he thinks these are the bomb. I do have to admit I made a few substitutions (I’m an expat living in Mexico and my ingredient options are limited). I substituted a devil’s food cake mix. I also used a jar or dulce de leche instead of the caramels and extra condensed milk. Heath bars or chips aren’t available, so I used a brand of Mexican peanut butter hard candies. I also used semi-sweet chocolate chips, which are expensive, but so worth it. Ummm… I did add instant coffee granules to the cake mix too. And some coarse Maldon salt flakes to the caramel layer. That might be it. 🤣🤣