Turtle Brownies

Turtle Brownies. Inspired by the famous candy confection they are a flavour collision of chocolate caramel and pecans!

Originally published December 2012.

These Turtle Brownies are inspired by Turtles which are a very popular Holiday treat at our house. Santa always remembers to put some of those delicious chocolate, pecan and caramel clusters in my stocking every year.

I have been looking for a really fudgy, chewy brownie for a while to use as a base for this cookie bar idea and I finally decided to develop one myself.

I went with the idea that brownies supposedly were originally a fallen chocolate cake. That's why there is no baking powder in the recipe.

In fact it is normal for these brownies to fall in the middle after baking.

You can simply trim the crisp sugary top edge right off the brownies before topping with the caramel, pecans and chocolate as in this recipe. I rarely do this but if I do, I love the trimmed top edges so much I do it when nobody else is around so that I don't have to share them!

The caramel layer is a cooked stove top version using sweetened condensed milk. A candy thermometer is very helpful to make sure that the caramel reaches 220 degrees F for the perfect soft chewy consistency.

These freeze quite well and are sure to be the hit of any get together at any time of the year.

Need more cookie ideas?

You might also like to try some of our very popular recipes in our Best Newfoundland Christmas Cookies Collection. They are definitely worth making at any time of year!|
 

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Yield: 24 cookie bars

Turtle Brownies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Turtle Brownies. Inspired by the famous candy confection they are a flavour collision of chocolate caramel and pecans!

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Ingredients

For the Brownie Layer

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• 1 ¾ cups flour
• ⅓ cup good quality cocoa
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup butter
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 square (1 ounce) melted unsweetened bakers chocolate (or 70% cocoa chocolate)
• 2 eggs
• 3 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Caramel

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• ½ cup melted butter
• ⅓ cup dark corn syrup
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1  300 ml can sweetened condensed milk  (14oz size in tthe US) ( I've used Eagle Brand Dulce De Leche condensed milk here for great caramel colour)

You will also need

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• 1 ¼ cups lightly toasted chopped pecans
• ⅔ cup chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon butter or whipping cream

Recommended Products

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

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  Lagostina Moderna 12-Piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set, Pots and Pan Set
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  Artisan® Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer KSM150PSMI | Includes Pouring Shield for Mess-Free Mixing, 10 Speed Settings, Easily add Ingredients with the Tilt-Head Design
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  KitchenAid - Nonstick Square Baking Pan, Grey

Instructions

To prepare the brownie layer

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 F for glass bakeware). Grease a 9x9 baking pan and line with parchment paper. 
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder & salt. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter over low heat.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar, melted chocolate, eggs and vanilla.
5. Stir slowly until the sugar is dissolved. Pinch the mixture between your fingers to make sure that you cannot feel any sugar granules. This is an important step in baking fudgy brownies.
6. Gently fold in the dry ingredients.
7. Spread the batter into a parchment paper lined 9x9 baking pan.
8. Bake for about 35 - 40 minutes at 350 degrees F (325 F for glass bakeware) 
9. Cool completely before adding the caramel layer.
10. When cooled, if your edges are too high you can trim them horizontally with a serrated bread knife to level the brownies. As you can see in the photo, I don't bother because I always prefer the edge pieces.

To prepare the Caramel

1. In a small saucepan combine the butter, corn syrup and vanilla extract.
2. Bring to a slow boil until foamy, then add the condensed milk.
3. Bring back to a slow boil over medium low heat. and cook stirring continuously for another 15-20 minutes until the mixture darkens slightly and thickens. It should reach no more than 220 degrees on a candy thermometer or the caramel will harden.
4. If you don't have a candy thermometer use the ice water test. Drop a ½ teaspoon of the mixture into ice water, If it forms a soft ball that can still be pinched between your fingers, it is ready.
5. Remove from heat and pour onto the prepared and cooled brownie base.
6. Let cool for a few minutes before sprinkling on the toasted pecans.

To finish the cookie bars

1. Melt together the chocolate and whipping cream (or butter) and drizzle over the pecan layer.
2. Let the caramel set up completely (for several hours or overnight) before cutting into squares or bars.
3. These freeze very well in airtight containers.

Notes

 

Nutrition Information

Yield

24

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 305Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 9gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 43mgSodium 161mgCarbohydrates 37gFiber 2gSugar 27gProtein 3g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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