Name: Touchdown Brownies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 15
Ingredients: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter; 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided; 2 cups sugar; 4 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 cup caramel bits, divided; 1 cup chopped pecans, divided; 1 (12 to 15 ounce) jar caramel sauce; 35–40 Itty Bitty pretzels (football shaped if you can find them), for garnishing

Super fudgy Touchdown Brownies loaded with winning players like caramel, pecans and pretzels. They’re always a gameday winner!

Three brownies in a stack on a white surface. The brownies are dripping with caramel and topped with with pretzels.

The Real Winners

These Touchdown Brownies are sure to be a winner with your entire game day crowd! They’re super fudgy and loaded with awesome players like caramel, pecans, and crunchy pretzels! If you’re a fan of the sweet and salty combo, then these brownies are for you! I knew they wouldn’t last long at our pregame get-together and I was right! No brownie will be left behind as you head into the big game!

A single bite cut out of a brownie with a metal fork.

A Sweet and Salty Brownie for Football Season

Every Saturday during football season, this family is at the stadium or glued to the TV cheering on our favorite college team! It’s all about football, friends, family and food!

We’re as serious about our football as we are about our brownies and no game day tailgate would be complete without some serious brownies! Of course, we’ll never turn down a simple fudge brownie. Or flourless brownies, brownie bites, whatever. If it’s a brownie, we’re gonna devour it.

But these touchdown brownies take it to the next level. They’re worthy of a national title.

A brownie topped with caramel bits, chocolate chips and pretzels on a white surface surrounded by pretzels and a small white dish of caramel sauce.

Ingredients and Supplies

(see recipe card at the bottom of this post for measurements and details. To learn more about specific baking ingredients and how they function in baking recipes, reference my Complete Guide to Baking Ingredients)

Unsalted butter: adds richness, moisture and flavor. I use unsalted butter, but you can use salted. Just adjust the recipe to account for the added salt.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips: adds deeper chocolate flavor to the brownies along with sweetness and texture to the topping.
Granulated sugar: sweetens and also helps keep the brownies moist and tender.
Large eggs: bind ingredients, adds structure and aids in rising.
Vanilla extract: deepens the chocolate flavor.
All-purpose flour: balances the wet ingredients to make sure the brownies hold together.
Unsweetened cocoa powder: provides rich chocolate flavor and some bitterness to balance the sugar. Dutch-processed cocoa works, but it’s less acidic and may affect the overall rise slightly with just baking powder.
Baking powder: helps the brownies rise a bit so they’re not too dense.
Kosher salt: enhances the chocolate flavor and balances the sweetness. Use slightly less if using table salt (which is finer).
Caramel bits: add sweetness and chewy texture to balance out the salty, crunchy pretzels.
Chopped pecans: add delicious crunch to the top of the brownies.
Caramel sauce: melts over the brownies to add delicious texture and anchor the toppings in place.
Itty Bitty pretzels: add delicious crunch and saltiness to the top of the brownies. You can use regular-sized mini pretzels, if desired.

Supplies:

Ingredients to make touchdown brownies in small glass dishes on a white marble counter.

How to Make Touchdown Brownies

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
In a large microwavable bowl, melt the butter and 2 cups chocolate chips in 30 seconds intervals until completely melted, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the sugar.

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
Stir in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

Gently stir flour mixture into the wet ingredients until well incorporated.
Fold in 3/4 cup caramel bits, 3/4 cup chocolate chips, and 3/4 cup chopped pecans.

Spread batter evenly into prepared baking dish. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Place on a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes before spreading caramel sauce evenly over the top of the brownies.
Place pretzels evenly over the caramel and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cups each of the chocolate chips, caramel bits, and chopped pecans.
Let brownies cool for at least 30 more minutes before lifting out of baking dish with parchment paper. (Place brownies in the refrigerator for at least an hour if you want the caramel sauce to set on top. If serving brownies while still warm, serve them while still in the baking dish.)
Cut into squares and enjoy!

Storage

Once the brownies are completely cooled and the caramel has set , keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. Because of the pretzels on top, they’ll stay pleasantly crisp for a day or two, but are best eaten within that time for crunch and freshness. If you need to store longer, placing them in the fridge can help preserve the texture and stop the caramel from getting sticky.

To freeze, cut the brownies into squares, then wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer‑safe container or bag. Freeze up to about 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw loosely covered at room temperature so the pretzels don’t get too soft from condensation.

If you want the pretzels extra crunchy even after freezing, consider adding fresh pretzels right before serving!

A parchment lined glass baking dish of brownies topped with caramel bits and pretzels.

More Winning Recipes for Football Season

You’ll score big with my Winning Recipes for Football Season! I’ve rounded up our favorite game day recipes that are sure to win everyone over at your football watch party!

Touchdown brownies, mini potato skins, baked chicken wings and football whoopee pies.

If you make these Touchdown Brownies, be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see! If you’re on Facebook, be sure to join my Friends of The BakerMama group to connect and share all the fun and yummy recipes of mine that you make! 😍 I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the ideas I share. Enjoy!

xoxo,