Chocolate Truffle Caramel Bacon Brownies

I've been wanting to make brownies for a while, and I love combining bacon and chocolate, thus this recipe was born. Out of an entire box, I got 2 brownies because the rest were DEVOURED. 
 
Note: I did (somewhat) follow the directions provided, but added/substituted a few extras. 
 
Ingredients: 
1box (1 lb.) of Trader Joe's Brownie Truffle Baking Mix 
2 packages Trader Joe's Apple Smoked Bacon (you'll have some extra) 
2 large eggs 
1 stick of butter (4 oz) or substitute with bacon drippings (see below)  
1 jar Trader Joe's Caramel sauce (or your choice of caramel sauce) 
Optional: 4 oz melted chocolate or chocolate sauce 
  
(Edited to add: I also added a dash of vanilla soymilk to compensate for the extra "dry" ingredient (the bacon). This added a few minutes to the baking time, but I'm sure it would have been fine without the milk added.)
 
Cook bacon until crispy. To make things easier, I used kitchen scissors to snip each package (and the bacon inside) in half. Drain grease as you go, reserving in a glass measuring cup. Lay bacon out on paper towels/brown paper bags/whatever you want to use to drain/soak up extra grease. Here is where you get to choose between using butter or bacon drippings...   
 
If using butter, follow directions on box. Melt slowly in saucepan or microwave, then pour into mixing bowl and slowly mix in eggs until creamy. 
   
If using bacon drippings, measure out 4 oz, allow to cool slightly, then mix in eggs until creamy. 
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease an 8x8x2 baking dish (I used the leftover bacon drippings to grease a pyrex glass baking dish). Once bacon is drained, pick out about 10 pieces (can be frozen, used as garnish, used for other meals, etc. - I saved the best, flattest pieces to use for another bacon/chocolate project). Chop the bacon you have left. 
 
Mix bacon into egg/butter (or egg/dripping) mixture, then add brownie mix and blend well. Pour into baking dish, smoothing top. Spoon caramel onto top in rows and use a butter knife to "cut" it into the top of the batter. 
 
Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes. Ovens vary, so start checking it at the 20 minute mark. Bake in 5-minute intervals until a toothpick inserted in several places comes out clean or very lightly coated (this will leave your brownies chewier). Once finished baking, allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving. 
 
To garnish (optional): Either drizzle more caramel onto top, or, for an added treat, lay slices of cooked bacon on top and drizzle with either chocolate or caramel. Another option would be to chop up the additional bacon, spoon some caramel on top, then sprinkle on the bacon bits. I garnished mine by drizzling caramel sauce on top, then lightly sprinkling with smoked sea salt. 
 
Voila! Chocolate Truffle Caramel Bacon Brownies! Try not to eat them all at once! :-)