Hey, I’m thrilled you’ve stopped by today! So… I have a question for you… Do you have a sweet tooth?

Did you say yes? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Especially if you have a thing for chocolate and caramel. Or sweet and salty. This will tickle your taste buds into ecstasy.

Here’s one more question… Have you ever made your own caramel? I used to help my grandma when I was little and what I remember most are the arm cramps I got from stirring the pot. I really had no desire to make caramel without my grandma…

… Until this barely-stir recipe entered my life. It’s absolutely amazing and super simple. It takes a little bit of time, but you can totally just set it and check on it every so often. There’s no heavy arm work!

If you’re in a rush and don’t have time for homemade from scratch, that’s ok! I’ve got a quick and easy version for you too. Check that recipe out down below.

HOMEMADE FROM SCRATCH CHOCOLATE CARAMEL POKE CAKE

CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

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Chocolate Cake

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  50 mins

Serves: Approx 20 servings

A not-too-sweet chocolate cake that is moist, light and fluffy and perfect for poke cakes.

Ingredients

• 1 c. white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 c white flour
• 1 c milk
• ¼ c butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 6 tbs cocoa

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13" glass pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream together sugar and butter.
3. Beat in eggs.
4. Add vanilla.
5. 
6. Combine flour and baking powder. Mix well.
7. Stir in milk until batter is smooth.
8. Pour into pan. Lower oven temperature to 325°F and bake for 28-32 mins.
9. 
10. (This is the perfect time to get your caramel started. See recipe below.)
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 mins.
12. Use a butter knife to poke holes in the cake. The more holes you make, the more caramel will soak down inside. Poke your knife into the cake and give it a little twist to make the holes bigger. The caramel will soak in better.
13. 

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CARAMEL SAUCE RECIPE
(I originally found this recipe on leafytreetopspot.blogspot.com a few years ago and I LOVE it. I tweaked it slightly to fit my needs for this recipe. You can see the original recipe at the link above.)

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Caramel Chocolate Poke Cake

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  35 mins

Total time:  55 mins

Serves: Approx 20 servings

The perfect sweet and salty dessert that will leave your taste buds wanting more!

Ingredients

• - ¼ Cup butter
• - 2 cups sugar
• - 1 Cup light corn syrup
• - ½ tsp salt
• - 1 Cup whipping or heavy cream
• - 2½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. ** If you're in a hurry or don't want to mess with making your own caramel sauce, just use a jar of your favorite caramel sauce from the store and skip to step 11.
2. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat on the stove.
3. Increase heat to medium-high. Add sugar and corn syrup and mix until well blended.
4. Add the salt and combine with a spatula.
5. Slowly stir the mixture until it comes to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to medium low and let boil 4 minutes without stirring.
7. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the whipping cream. Be careful and don't pour too much in too quickly. It might spatter and could burn. Stirring nice and slow will help get the cream mixed in smoothly as well.
8. Return to medium low heat and continue cooking without stirring until mixture is 245°F on a candy thermometer.
9. *Note: This makes the caramel a firm chewy candy. You'll probably have to cut the caramel on the cake with kitchen shears, but I love the chewy texture. For most people, a caramel sauce will be more to your liking. There's lots of recipes, but I've never tried any and don't have a favorite to point you to. You can even add sea salt to the sauce and make it salted caramel sauce if you'd like.
10. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
11. Pour caramel over the cake (recipe above). If your cake is domed after you bake it, you can use a spatula to pull the caramel back to the middle as it soaks in and cools down.
12. If desired, sprinkle caramel with sea salt before it cools too much. If the top has already started to firm up, you can gently press the salt into the caramel with the palm of your hand. Be careful, the caramel will still be hot!
13. Allow to cool completely (2-3 hours). Slice and serve topped with whipped cream, pretzel sticks and M&M's® Red, White & Blue Milk Chocolate for the perfect sweet and salty ode to America.

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Maybe you’re more a Skittles® fan? Well, there’s Skittles® Red, White, & Blue too! I’m not sure I’d eat them with the chocolate caramel cake, but they are pretty tasty little treats.

Right now MARS/Wrigley is showing appreciation of our troops by donating M&M’s® to the troops for every bag purchased at Walmart. Select stores will have representatives sharing more information about the “1 For You, 1 For the Troops” campaign exclusively at Walmart.

Did you know that M&M’s® were originally created for the troops?  Keep the tradition going and buy M&M’s® at Walmart or Walmart.com.

Supporting the troops is definitely something I can get behind. America has always held a special place in my heart. I truly love this country, despite any flaws she may have.

When I met my husband, he was a soldier. We have lived the life of a military family and I had a love-hate relationship with the military, for many reasons. But, I will be forever grateful for and to the courageous and selfless men and women who defend our freedom. The brave people who leave their families to stand against and protect our rights and privileges. I admire and respect the families that are left behind, the single parents who hold their homes and families together while the one they love most is thousands of miles away, often in mortal danger.

The men, women and families who make up our armed forces are some of the strongest, bravest, courageous and selfless people I have ever had the privilege to know. I am so grateful for the time we had among those heroes. I will always respect, admire, and love those who have, who do and those who willingly sacrifice holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, time with their families, their health and even their lives to protect this country and all those within her borders.

If purchasing a bag of M&M’s® or Skittles® can help lift a service member’s day with a small treat, it’s the least I can do. Help support our troops and grab a bag (or two!) at Walmart today. And check out more fun patriotic recipes for your celebrations this summer!

I hinted at the quick and easy version earlier; but, as promised, here’s the recipe. This is a little different consistency and flavor, but still really yummy.

QUICK AND EASY
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL POKE CAKE

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Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  40 mins

Serves: One 9x13" pan

Quick & easy chocolate caramel poke cake ready to serve in 45 minutes!

Ingredients

• 1 Family-sized Chocolate cake mix box (should bake in a 9x13" pan)
• 12 oz bottle Caramel ice cream topping
• Sea salt to garnish (optional)
• Whipped cream
• Pretzel sticks
• M&M's® Red, White, & Blue Peanut

Instructions

1. Mix and bake the cake according to the directions on the back of the box.
2. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 mins.
3. Use a butter knife to poke holes in the cake. The more holes there are, the more caramel will soak in. You can give the knife a twist after you poke it in the cake to make the holes a bit bigger.
4. Pour half the caramel over the cake and let it sit and soak in for 10 minutes.
5. Pour the other half of the caramel on top and let it soak in.
6. Slice and served topped with whipped cream, pretzel pieces and M&M's® candies.

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The post Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake appeared first on While He Was Napping.

So, get your order in and save a box of Thin Mints for this delectable dessert. Your local little pig-tailed Girl Scouts will thank you. And so will your taste buds! Seize the brownie pie, my friend!

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE THIN MINT BROWNIE PIE WHEN IT’S NOT GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SEASON?

I love supporting our local girl scout troops, but I’m the first to admit that $5 a box is a bit steep for my budget. I stock up what I can, but when our freezer stash is out, we head to Wal-Mart when we’re jonesing for some Thin Mint cookies. The Great Value Fudge Mint cookies are a sufficient substitute.

And at less than half the price, it’s okay to use nearly a whole package in a Thin Mint Brownie Pie and not feel guilty. At least about the cost. The calories might be a different story. But, sometimes you just got have a little bit of heaven.

Because this pie is a little bit of heaven.

A PI PLATE AS AMAZING AS TRIPLE CHOCOLATE THIN MINT BROWNIE PIE

The best pie deserves an amazing pie plate, right? One that cooks evenly, makes your dessert look fantastic and if you get the coolest mathematical surprise when you start to serve that piece of heaven, all the better right? This awesome Pi Plate is my go to for all pies – the dinner and dessert variety. You can check these out on Etsy or even order your own custom design. Perfect for holidays, special occasions and gifts too!

SERVE A TRIPLE CHOCOLATE THIN MINT BROWNIE PIE TREAT EVERYONE WILL RAVE ABOUT

My favorite thing about this pie is how insanely easy it is to put together a decadent dessert that people will think you slaved over! In less than an hour, you will have dessert ready to wow your dinner guests without spending your afternoon rolling doughs, mixing batters and waiting on bake times. Put Triple Chocolate Thin Mont Brownie Pie on your dessert plan today!

Yield: 12 pieces

The Best Triple Chocolate Thin Mint Brownie Pie

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Take your thin mint cookie obsession and kick it into overload with this amazing triple chocolate thin mint brownie pie that takes less than an hour to whip up!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 box brownie mix
• Ingredients required for your brownie mix, typically includes: 1 egg, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup oil. I use 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup applesauce to make them a little less oily and unhealthy. But these are triple chocolate brownies... you might not be too concerned about the calories.
• 1/3 cup chocolate syrup
• 1 package Thin Mint Cookies

Instructions

Preheat the oven as directed on the back of the brownie mix box.

Mix up the brownies as per the instructions on the back of the box. Substitiute half the oil with applesauce for a less oily brownie.

Pour half the batter into the bottom of a lightly-greased 8-inch pie plate.

Put down a layer of mint cookies.

Pour the chocolate syrup on top of the cookies and spread with a spatula to evenly cover the cookies.

Pour the rest of the batter on top of the syrup and gently shake the pan to level out the batter.

Bake as directed on the brownie box or until a toothpick inserted into the pie comes out clean.

Cool, slice and serve with a scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 558Total Fat: 25.9gSaturated Fat: 10.4gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 357mgCarbohydrates: 81.6gFiber: 2gSugar: 21.4gProtein: 4.3g

Looking for a dinner pie that will rock your dinner table? Check out this Chicken Pot Pie with crust so flaky and delicious, leftovers will be no problem. Or, for a busy week night, check out this Chicken Pot Pie Casserole option – ready in 30 minutes!

The post The Best Triple Chocolate Thin Mint Brownie Pie appeared first on While He Was Napping.