“I don’t usually crave brownies, but I want to take a bath in these browniesor at least smother my face in them.”**

Fun Fact: my parents have had three different Joys live with them (one spelled her name Joi, but still...) and one of them, Joy Engler, loved to bake.

In fact, Joy made the absolutely BEST brownies and fortunately she taught me her method. I spent years making these bad boys and almost forgot about them until I was pressed into finding something new for a dinner.

Where was the recipe? I texted Mom and my sister and eventually found close-enough approximations that I was able to piece together the recipe below.

"Joy's Brownies" will certainly change your dessert game.

Here's what you need:

1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix (Don’t use the “pudding” kind) 3/4 cup butter, melted 1/3 cup evaporated milk ¾- ½ cup chocolate chips 1 bottle caramel syrup*

Optional - Chopped nuts for the topping

*Substitution – if you don’t have a bottle of caramel syrup OR if you prefer a thicker, more decadent caramel, you can melt a bag of caramel candies with another 1/3 cup evaporated milk for the filling.

NOTE: THIS DISH REQUIRES COOLING TIME, SO DON'T MAKE THIS LAST MINUTE!!!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cake mix with melted butter and evaporated milk.

Stir until a dough forms. It's gonna be gooey!

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and cover with a light dusting of flour. Then put approximately half of the dough on the bottom, pressing together to form an even layer. I try to go light on this layer to make sure I have enough for the topping, but it's always a little tricky. (Fair warning.)

Bake for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with a thin layer of chocolate chips. I prefer the small kind if/when I have them. Drizzle with caramel.

I use almost a complete bottle so the chips are covered, but not swimming.

Take the remaining dough and press it into pieces between the palms of your hands and cover the top of the caramel. The result will be a bit of a puzzle. In fact, it's going to look like a mess and, if you're like me, you'll worry that the dish won't hold together.

I have never made this dish without being convinced that I've ruined it.

Return the oven and bake 15-18 minutes. The result will be like this... beautiful!!

But still, there is some serious goo in the middle, so allow the dish to cool completely before cutting into pieces.

PRESTO!! Joy (Engler)'s Brownies.

As tasty as ever. Enjoy : )

**This loosely quoted sentiment is from a friend of mine who had these brownies over a month ago at my home. I'm sorry it's taken me so long, but Summer Hours Don't Cha Know!!