Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9″ x 13″ pan and set aside.

In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat, just until it’s hot, but not bubbling. The mixture will become shiny looking as you stir it.

Transfer the sugar mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir in the cocoa, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth.

Slowly add the flour and chocolate chips. Stir until smooth.

Spoon the batter into prepared pan. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool completely.

When the brownies are completely cool, put the softened ice cream into a medium bowl. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chopped Heath candy bars. Evenly spread the ice cream over the cooled brownies. Garnish with the additional Heath candy bar chunks.

Cover the ice cream brownie bars and place in the freezer. Freeze until ice cream hardens, at least 2 hours. This dessert can be made in advance.

When ready to serve, remove the pan from the freezer. Run a sharp knife under hot water and cut the bars into squares. The bars will be hard to cut so make sure you get the knife super hot in between each cut. Drizzle the bars with salted caramel sauce, if desired. Serve.

Note-To soften the ice cream, let the ice cream out on a countertop for 30 minutes before using. You want it soft enough to spread over brownies but still slightly frozen. The brownies will be hard to eat with a fork if you eat them straight from the freezer. You can let them sit for a bit or you can pick them up and eat them. They are a little messy to eat, but I promise it is worth the mess!