Name: Copycat Zupa’s Caramel Rockslide Brownies Recipe
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: ½ cup margarine; ½ cup salted butter; ½ cup cocoa; 2 cups sugar; 4 eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 2½ cups flour; 1 cup milk chocolate chips; 13.4 ounces La Lechera Caramel (1 can); 1 cup pecans (pieces); 1 Tablespoon butter

Cafe Zupa's is located in 8 states and soon to be 9. They have delicious salads and sandwiches. After you order your food, you conveniently walk by the dessert case to pay. You'll see the most amazing Caramel Rockslide Brownies ever! After buying so many of these chocolate squares of heaven and studying them closely, we decided to create our own. We tweaked it over and over, and now have a delicious Copycat Zupa's Caramel Rockslide Brownie you can enjoy at home. They are delicious.

Copycat Zupa’s Caramel Rockslide Brownies

We love anything chocolate. When that chocolate is in the form of a brownie, we are all over it!

We often go to the local Cafe Zupa’s here in Utah. They have an amazing Caramel Rockslide brownie. It’s a thick brownie that is drizzled with a caramel topping.

More brownie chunks are on top of the drizzled caramel, along with sweet toasted pecan pieces. Then top it off with more drizzled caramel.

Caramel Rockslide brownies are so big and rich, that we often split them in half and share them.

We added in some big milk chocolate chips in with the brownie batter. That added even more chocolate goodness to our own copycat version of Caramel Rockslide Brownies.

what types of caramel topping can be used?

We did some research on the best caramel topping for these brownies and this La Lachera from Nestle is our favorite. It’s a milk based caramel.

You can make your own by cooking sweetened condensed milk for hours. It will turn into this exact Dulce de Leche. It is amazing.

We like to make it in the slow cooker. Place the sweetened condensed milk cans on it’s side in the slow cooker. Cover the cans with water, at least 2 inches over the top of can.

Cook for 8-10 hours on low. Do not open can while hot because the contents could burst and you could get burned. Let it cool in cool water for about 10 minutes before opening.

You will have the most amazing caramel that can be used for so many things. Place caramel in a jar and it can be stored in the fridge for up to a month.

You can also make a caramel sauce with individually wrapped caramels. An 11 ounce package of caramels and 1/2 cup of half and half will make a delicious caramel sauce.

We loved the convenience of buying Nestle’s La Lachera. It’s about one dollar more than regular sweetened condensed milk. But it was worth it for the convenience.

do you have to toast your pecans?

We have used regular pecans when adding them to baked goodies. And they will work just fine.

But if you take a few extra minutes and toast your pecans, they will add so much flavor to your recipe.

When you toast the pecans, they become brown and fragrant. The natural oil from the nuts comes out while they are cooking, which means more flavor for your brownie.

It’s worth a few extra minutes of cooking time for an amazing taste.

All it takes is about 6 minutes at 350 degrees.

how to make copycat Zupa’s Caramel Rockslide Brownies

We started these delicious brownie with our Fudgy Brownie recipe that is our Grandma’s Char’s recipe.

Beat all of the ingredients as directed below for this recipe. The batter is quite thick.

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Pour into 2 pans that have been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. One is an 8 x 8 glass pan, and the other is a 5 x 9 loaf pan.
Place about 1 cup of chocolate chips all over the top of the batter in the 8 x 8 pan only.

Place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Drizzle some of the caramel topping over the top of the brownie in the 8 x 8 inch pan only.

Let both pans of brownies cool while you prepare the pecans.
Toast 1 cup pecans (we used pecan pieces) that have been stirred into 1 Tablespoon melted butter on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook at 350 for 6 minutes.

Remove the brownies from the loaf pan. Place on a cutting board and cut into 1/2 inch squares. We cut off the edges so the brownie bites would all be very soft.
Sprinkle the brownie chunks and toasted pecans all over the top of the brownies.
Drizzle with more caramel. We used about 1/3 cup for the top drizzle.

Slice and serve. We have found that when they are refrigerated for about an hour, they cut easier.

These store well in an airtight container in the fridge. But we can promise you that they won’t last long!

helpful items used in this recipe

Hand Mixer – This is a favorite hand mixer that comes in many colors. We love the Quick Burst Button.
8 x 8 Baking Dish – A great sized dish for so many purposes.
5 x 9 Loaf Pan – This is great for all kinds of breads.
Mini Spatula– We love this spatula for the hard to get areas.

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Every recipe has a beautiful mouth-watering photo and has been picky-eater approved. The directions are simple, easy to follow, and do not require any strange ingredients.

This cookbook includes copycat recipes from Wingers, Texas Roadhouse, Starbucks, Panera, Cheesecake Factory, Kneaders, and so much more. We have you covered from drinks, to dessert, and everything in-between.