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Turtle Bars

All the flavor of turtle candies, but in the form of a brownie.

About 45 minutes

Serves: 12-18

Easy

Both chewy and gooey these easy to make bars feature the classic turtle candy elements of chocolate, caramel and pecans.

These Turtle Bars are certainly something special! The recipe is from Grandma’s friend Rosemary and I think it had been all but forgotten in Grandma’s recipe tin. That is, until I started making it and it sure looked familiar. Then, when I told my mom about it, she could recite the entire recipe from memory because it was the same recipe as her Caramel Brownies! So, while this isn’t exactly a recipe Grandma Jackie was known for, it is by chance, a family favorite for sure. And boy is it easy and delicious. If you like turtle candies – you will LOVE these bars (or brownies).

The instructions here are really straight forward and simple to follow. If you have the time, definitely toast the pecans first. It’s of course optional, but adds a lot of flavor. To do that, wait until the oven come to temperature (350º), put the pecans on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to sprinkle on top.

These bars are best once they are cooled to room temp, so definitely strengthen your patience when they come out of the oven—it’ll pay off! If you aren’t serving the whole tray at once or have any leftovers, pop these bars in the freezer. Eating them frozen makes them even chewier and better. Plus, they’ll last a lot longer.

This is a great recipe that comes together pretty easily with simple pantry staples. The results are chewy, gooey and so delicious. I hope you give it a try and if you do, let me know what you think in the comments and share a picture of the end result with me on Instagram (@bdhbakes).

Steps:

Preheat Oven to 350º
Melt Caramels & Milk
In a medium sized bowl, unwrap and add all the caramels as well as 1/3 Cup of the evaporated milk. Melt in the microwave in 30 minutes bursts, stirring between each burst. Stir well in between each burst in the microwave. Stop once the mixture is smooth without any lumps. Set aside.
Make Batter
In a large bowl, melt the margarine in the microwave (again in 30 second bursts). Once the margarine is melted, add the cake mix and stir just until you can no longer see any dry ingredients.
Add Milk and Stir
Next, add the remaining evaporated milk and stir until it's incorporated well.
Add to Pan & Bake
Now, prep a 13"x9" pan by lightly spraying it with cooking spray. Add half of the cake batter mixture to the pan and smooth it to an even layer covering the entire bottom of the pan. Bake it in the preheated oven for 6 minutes.
Add Middle Ingredients
Once the bottom layer comes out of the oven, add the chocolate chips in an even layer. Then, pour over the reserved caramel sauce and spread to cover evenly. Sprinkle the pecans over the top, again in an even layer.
Add Top Layer
On top of the pecans, add the remaining cake batter mixture. The easiest way to do that is to spoon little amounts over the entire surface and then gently smooth with an offset spatula. It's okay if a few nuts peak out, just do your best and it doesn't have to be perfect.
Bake and Cool
Bake the bars in the oven for an additional 16 minutes (still at 350º). When it's done, take it out and allow to cool completely.