Fudgy, rich, sweet and salty—these caramel-crowned treats offer it all! To get nice clean cuts, rinse a thin-blade knife under hot water, wipe the blade dry and cut the brownies. Repeat as necessary.

Gourmet Pretzel Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with foil. Grease foil; set pan aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat butter and bittersweet chocolate over low heat until melted; cool.

Stir sugar into chocolate mixture in saucepan. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon after each addition just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Stir in flour and baking soda just until combined. Stir in semisweet chocolate chips. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, unwrap caramels. In a heavy saucepan, combine caramels and cream. Heat over medium-low heat until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Spread over brownies. Sprinkle with pretzels. Cool completely.

Using the edges of the foil, lift uncut brownies out of pan. Cut into bars.

*Note: Caramel bits or other brands of individually wrapped caramels can also be used, but because the candies vary in size, always measure by weight.