Description
Delicious Turtle Bars featuring a buttery crust, toasted pecans, rich caramel topping, and a smooth layer of melted semisweet chocolate. These bars combine crunchy, chewy, and creamy textures, making for an irresistible treat perfect for sharing or enjoying as a sweet snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 10 tablespoons (141 grams) salted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2½ cups (320 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (165 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2 cups (210 grams) roughly chopped pecans
Topping
- 1¼ cups (282 grams) salted butter, cut into pieces
- 1½ cups (330 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (346 grams) semisweet chocolate chips or chopped bar chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare pan: Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides for easy removal. Butter any exposed pan surfaces.
- Make the crust: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat together the butter, flour, brown sugar, and salt until the mixture forms evenly moistened, sandy crumbs.
- Form crust in pan: Transfer the crumb mixture into the prepared pan. Press down firmly into an even, flat layer using the bottom of a flat measuring cup or an offset spatula. Evenly sprinkle the chopped pecans over the crust layer.
- Prepare caramel topping: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter, sugar, and salt together. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour caramel over crust and pecans: Evenly pour the hot caramel over the crust and pecans, smoothing it out to cover the entire surface.
- Bake: Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the nuts smell toasted and the caramel is bubbling evenly across the top.
- Add chocolate layer: Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the hot caramel. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to soften, then gently spread it into an even layer.
- Cool and set: Allow the bars to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to fully set the chocolate and caramel layers.
- Serve and store: Use the parchment overhang to lift the bars from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 1-by-2-inch bars. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months (thaw before serving).
Notes
- Ensure the butter for the crust is at room temperature for easy mixing.
- Using parchment paper with an overhang makes removing the bars from the pan simple and clean.
- Light or dark brown sugar can be used for variations in flavor intensity.
- For a crunchier texture, toast the pecans lightly before adding them to the crust.
- Store bars in an airtight container to maintain freshness and prevent drying out.
- Allow bars to cool and set fully before cutting to avoid melting or sticky edges.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Turtle Bars, caramel bars, chocolate pecan bars, homemade dessert bars, easy baked bars, caramel chocolate dessert
