I love a rich and decadent homemade brownie, and these Rolo Brownies more than deliver on flavor and texture. The Rolo candies and the cocoa lend a rich, chocolatey taste with a hint of caramel, creating a buttery contrast that makes each bite melt in your mouth.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 24 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 16
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Ultra-fudgy chocolate brownies with pockets of gooey caramel and a rich milk-chocolate finish.
- 🍚 Best Served With: A cold glass of milk, vanilla ice cream, or a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, bake a day ahead and store airtight, or freeze fully cooled brownies for later indulgence.
Summarize and Save This Content On
You don't need a special occasion for this dessert, and I make this one often just to curb my chocolate craving. It's best enjoyed after a light dinner such as Tuscan white bean soup, so I have room for a decent-sized square.
If you enjoy desserts that feature Rolos, I recommend these spring pretzel Rolo bites and these caramel cookie bars.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a tasty twist on an original: This recipe takes homemade fudgy brownies and turns them into a chocolate and caramel sensation!
- It's easy to make: Even if you haven't made brownies from scratch, I promise this recipe is simple and easy to follow.
- It's a crowd-pleaser: Everyone falls in love with these Rolo brownies, and for good reason. They have an incredible gooey texture and rich flavor.
Ingredients
Here are the key components of this Rolo brownie recipe. The remaining ingredients are common baking staples.
- Rolos: You can find these candies at any grocery store. I cut them in half and pop them in the freezer, so they hold their shape during baking. With the halves, I can also layer them, ensuring more caramel in every bite.
- Chocolate: The combination of cocoa powder and chopped dark chocolate ensures this is as indulgent as possible. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder is my go-to.
- Boiling water: This is one of the most important ingredients! The heat from the water helps intensify the chocolate flavor of the cocoa, and it also helps sugar dissolve more easily and fat melt more evenly!
- Sea salt: I like to use sea salt in this Rolos brownie recipe because it has a cleaner taste, enhances the chocolate, and balances the sweetness instead of overpowering it. You may use table salt if you don't have sea salt, but you should reduce it to ½ teaspoon.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Add coconut: Fold in ½ cup of unsweetened shredded coconut to add texture.
- Add pecans: Try ½ cup of chopped pecans for crunch!
- Toffee crunch: Include ½ cup of toffee chips to enhance the caramel flavor.
How to Make Rolo Brownies
To get started, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8x8 metal baking pan with parchment paper. Then, pop your sliced Rolos into the freezer before you start on the brownie batter!
Step 1: Prepare the wet mixture. Combine the chocolate and cocoa powder with the boiling water until the mixture is fully melted, then whisk in the oil, eggs, and vanilla until the batter is smooth.
Step 2: Add flour and salt. Now you can mix in the flour and sea salt until fully combined.
Step 3: Layer the batter and Rolos. Pour about ⅓ of the batter into the baking pan, layer the frozen Rolos, and then pour the remaining brownie batter on top.
Step 4: Bake and slice. Pop it into the oven and bake it for about 24 minutes. Allow the Rolo brownies to cool completely in the pan and then remove and slice them right before serving!
Recipe Tips
- Double the recipe if needed: It's super easy to make extra of this recipe! Double it and use two 8x8 pans to serve Rolo brownies to a crowd.
- Chill the Rolos long enough: The chopped Rolos need at least 20 minutes in the freezer before they're added to the brownie batter to keep them from disintegrating in the oven.
- Keep the Rolos whole: If you want, you can keep the Rolos whole instead of slicing them. Chill them for at least 30 minutes to ensure they stay intact while baking.
Brownies and caramel are a lovely combination, and these air fryer turtle brownies are just as decadent as the brownies with Rolos.
If you enjoy recipes like this, you really should check out these brown butter brownies and this chocolate fudge brownie cake. These Reese's brownies are really good too.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Store your Rolo brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze them for up to 3 months by wrapping each square in plastic wrap before placing them in a freezer bag or airtight container.
- Reheating: Place your brownie in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to get it warm, especially if you want to enjoy it with a scoop of hot chocolate ice cream!
Serving Suggestions
- A Rolo brownie square with a scoop of ice cream, like this Kit Kat ice cream or red velvet ice cream, is the ultimate dessert. Even your favorite store-bought vanilla would be divine!
- Sprinkle some butter toffee pretzels or air fryer candied walnuts on top for a fun crunch!
- Instead of a hot cup of coffee, consider pairing your brownie with a caramel milkshake.
If you enjoy brownie recipes like this one, check out our pink velvet brownies. They're rich and creamy and oh so good.
Recipe FAQs
If you like! I find the flavor and texture of the homemade mix to go perfectly with the Rolos, but a boxed mix will work. Prepare the batter according to the package and watch the baking time so you don't overbake the Rolos.
These brownies are meant to be gooey, so when they finish baking, they will be slightly jiggly in the center, and the edges will be fully set. If you overbake them, they become dry and crumbly very easily.
If you skip freezing them or don't freeze them long enough, they will begin to melt quickly during baking, causing them to sink to the bottom.
More Delicious Brownie Recipes
Do you like brownie recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Rolo Brownies
Ingredients
- 24 Rolo's cut in half and frozen
- 2 oz dark chocolate bar chopped, 60 grams
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder 36 grams
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar or 150 grams
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour or 187.5 grams
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Cut Rolos in half and place on a cookie sheet in the freezer for about 20 minutes before you start making your batter.
- Preheat oven to 350F and prepare an 8x8 metal pan with parchment paper leaving the sides high for easily removal.
- In a large bowl add chopped chocolate and cocoa powder followed by hot water and whisk to melt.
- Add in granulated sugar, oil, eggs and pure vanilla extract until smooth.
- Whisk in flour and salt until combined.
- Pour about ⅓ of batter into prepared pan, then place the Rolo's in (lined 6x8) and fill with remaining batter and bake for 24 minutes.
- Cool completely in the pan then remove and slice.
Notes
- Try this recipe using your favorite boxed brownie mix for an extra shortcut.
- When the brownies are done, the edges will be set, but the middle will still be jiggly (but not wet). You don't need to cook them until the center is fully set, or they will become dry and crumbly.
- Freeze the Rolos thoroughly so they don't get lost in the brownie batter.
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