These brownies have some memories attached to them!

Many, many Christmas’s ago (almost 20 I think!) my sister brought home a tall, blond fella that she had taken a shine to.

Seems he liked her just fine too – and a few years later he married her and they’ve been together every since.

But back to that first Christmas – this tall blond fella brought along some gooey wonderful brownies to share. I don’t know if  he was trying to win “brownie points” (sorry – I couldn’t resist!) or even if my sister tipped him off to how much the entire family loves chocolate – but at any rate – these were a BIG hit.

And have been ever since.

Our family calls them “Peacemakers” – although the last piece has been known to cause conflict!

Peacemakers (Caramel-Pecan Brownies)

1 box German chocolate cake mix
1 bag of chocolate chips (12 ounces)
1 bag (14 oz.) Kraft caramels
1 small can evaporate milk (6ounces)
1 package of pecans (you can substitute walnuts)
3/4 cup margarine (softened)

Combine the cake mix, margarine, 1/3 cup of the milk. Stir in the nuts. Spread 1/2 of this mixture in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the caramels and the rest of the milk (1/3 cup) in the microwave.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the brownie base and pour the caramel over the top. Put the rest of the cake mix on the top in spots and pat down.

Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Cool thoroughly before cutting.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with my friend Lisa over at Stop and Smell the Chocolates for her Chocolate Friday Fun!