Brownie Cup? Piece of cake.

I have been on a dessert kick lately and let me tell you it is not a bad kick to be on. Unless of course you are dieting or trying to lose weight, but PLEASE--diets are SO 1963.

Instead of worrying about your weight, eat one of these scrumptious, toothsome (best word ever) Rolo Brownie Cups. What's a brownie cup?!!?! Well, it happens when you try to make cupcakes with brownie mix EVEN THOUGH the box says that it is a cake mix. So, your "cupcakes" come out all cupcake-shaped, but with the delectable taste of a chewy, fudge brownie. Only these are extra spectacular because I put caramel in the middle. Talk about a mind-sticker!

I used Trader Joe's Truffle Baking Mix. I had never used it before, but was not deterred. I had the feeling that it would taste just GREAT. It was also really easy to mix. I won't go into detail. Just read the instructions on the box and follow them. 

I also had leftover caramel from when I made vegan Twix bars. No, I haven't posted it yet. I need to make MORE and actually take pictures. They were fantastic, by the way. Anyway, so this caramel had been sitting in the fridge, taunting me, "Heat me up! Or don't! Eat me with your bare hands right out of the Tupperware. Take me upstairs and gnaw on me in bed and start that Lifetime movie on Netflix you've been itching to watch....". Instead, I popped open a Tab and decided to bake these Brownie Cups with a dollop of homemade caramel in the middle. (Although, at the time I thought I was still making cupcakes. Details, details.)

I filled each cup with a spoonful of batter (after spraying it with Pam of course), a spoonful of caramel and then another spoonful of batter. And then I baked them for 35 minutes. Actually, I baked them for 20 minutes, checked them and baked them in 5 minute increments after that. The caramel caused them to bake a little longer, but it was well worth it. 

Not the BEST picture, but that's okay. I'd still eat 4.

Sadly, the recipe only made 12 and they were gone like that (I'm snapping my fingers). I will definitely revisit these treats and, yes, the Twix bars too! Until then, gaze lovingly at these photos and peruse this awesome site (which I found today while searching for Rolo Cupcakes) for inspiration. I love the internet.