In the kitchen with Sharon this week is my good friend Patricia Nicholes. Happy new year, Patricia, and thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with all of us.

I just happen to have all these pretzels left over from Christmas and now I know what I’m going to do with them. That’s right, I am going to make salted pretzel brownies. It’s an easy recipe and you know how I love easy recipes — what’s not to like. It has your basic chocolate and crunchy pretzels, and its sweet and salty. Yum yum. She even has step-by-step pictures.

You are awesome Patricia. I can’t wait to try these.

Please send me your favorite recipes and I will put you in the kitchen with Sharon. Send them to [email protected] or call me at 937-393-3456.

Have a great week!

SALTED PRETZEL

CARAMEL BROWNIES

Ingredients

• 1 box Betty Crocker fudge brownies (for 9-inch by 13-inch pan)

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 cup water

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil

• 3 cups pretzels

• 1 jar caramel sauce

• Coarse sea salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or grease with cooking spray.

• Prepare brownie batter according to package instructions.

• Pour about 1/3 of the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread until the bottom of the pan is evenly coated. Then add two even layers of pretzels, covering the entire surface. Carefully spoon the remaining brownie batter on top to cover the pretzels.

• Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean. Remove and set on a cooling rack to cool.

• Spoon the caramel sauce onto the top of the brownies in an even layer. (If it is too thick, spoon the sauce into a small bowl first and microwave for 30 seconds to thin.) Sprinkle the caramel with a few pinches of sea salt.

• Serve warm or let cool to room temperature and then serve.

Sharon Hughes is the advertising manager at The Times-Gazette. She is also a mother, grandmother and chef.