
There’s a little place my family likes to get a quick bite to eat sometimes called Cafe Zupas. They have a really nice variety of house-made soups, salads and sandwiches and a pretty little dessert case strategically placed right by the register. I’m not usually such a softy, but last time I was there with the boys I ordered a really decadent looking brownie for us to share. It was really rich and fudgy, with a layer of caramel and pecans. Kind of wished I didn’t have to share!


And then all of the sudden I realized that I only have one brownie recipe here on LLK and thought this might be a good time to do something about that. I’ve always been a box mix brownie kind of girl (and no shame there) but love it when I can make a really crazy good dessert with ingredients I already have on hand. Every other homemade brownie recipes I have tried tastes more like chocolate cake to me. So I found a new favorite recipe for homemade brownies (which tastes like a brownie and not chocolate cake) and then elevated them to the next level, Cafe Zupas style.
Then I thought they were begging for a scoop of ice cream and a little drizzle of caramel just to seal the deal. Wowzers. My sweet/fat tooth is doing summersaults as I write this post and stare at theses pics! I did use a store-bought caramel topping in these because I just wasn’t feeling patient enough to make my own, but next time I make these, if I’m feeling ambitious, I’m going to get the old candy thermometer out and see what I can do. Can you even imagine how good that would be? I can’t even.

So if you are in the mood for an over-the-top brownie experience, and want a chocolate fix that should last about a month, you’ve come to the right place my friend!

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Copycat Zupas Rockslide Brownies
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
If you are in the mood for an over-the-top brownie experience, and want a chocolate fix that should last about a month, you’ve come to the right place.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup (plus more for drizzling over the top) caramel topping
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans (plus more for sprinkling on top)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in sugar. Whisk in eggs and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the pan, and mix until just incorporated.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter, dividing evenly into two 9 by 9 inch baking pans, sprayed with nonstick spray and lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes, and the let cool completely.
- Remove the whole brownie from one of the pans using the parchment paper edges to lift it out, and chop into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Pour 1 cup of caramel topping over the brownies that are still in the pan, and then add chopped pecans and brownie cubes.
- Press down to help the brownie cubes stick to the caramel. Drizzle with additional caramel if desired and sprinkle with a few more chopped pecans.
- I found it easier to cut the brownies when they were chilled, so I kept them in the fridge until I was ready to serve them. Serve with ice cream and additional caramel and chopped pecans if desired.
Notes
Brownie recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Brownie
- Calories: 488
- Sugar: 53g
- Sodium: 369mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.6g
- Trans Fat: 0.6g
- Carbohydrates: 65g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 5.5g
- Cholesterol: 103mg
Keywords: copycat Zupas rockslide brownies, rockslide brownies, homemade brownies, chocolate, brownies
kat says
hhhmmmm….im speechless…must try asap…looks divine!!
Julie says
haha! Hope you enjoy them like I did!
Christina @ Bake with Christina says
These brownies look spectacular! Would love to eat one right now!
Julie says
Thanks Christina, me too!
Karen @ The Food Charlatan says
Wowzers Julie!!! This looks crazy good. Oh how I miss Zupas!! Tell them to get over here in CA π
Julie says
Thanks Karen! I will certainly tell them!
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic says
Whoa Julie. This looks delicious and so gooey. Brownies and ice cream are a combo made in foodie heaven.
Julie says
Amen to that Kathy! Thanks for stopping by!
Shiran @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Brownies are one of my favorite desserts! It looks so good Julie! I’ve been using the same recipe for years (although I have about a million more :))
Baking Tuts says
Oh God, these should be forbidden! They look insane!
Rebecca says
Soo Yummy π This is my holiday Food
Becky Jensen says
These were a hit at my family dinner tonight! Tasted just like the originals! π
★★★★★