The combination of crumbly homemade shortbread, moist brownie, and gooey caramel topped with bits of crunchy Schermer Pecans and chocolate make these Turtle Bars a decadent experience in both texture and taste. For easy cutting, make the dessert the day before to allow the caramel to set. Visit our cookies and bars section for more, and look to our Bake from Scratch Cookbook for more indulgent artisan baking recipes.
Looking for more pecan baking inspiration? Schermer Pecan’s has just launched the second edition of their well-loved holiday cookbook: Celebrating with Pecans: Our Collection of Holiday Recipes. Click the link to download a pdf featuring savory and sweet recipes like Pecan Sticky Toffee Pudding, Inside Out Pecan Sticky Buns with Sorghum Glaze, Pecan Puppy Chow (their version of the holiday Chex Mix). For those looking to try out something completely new, Schermer Pecan Flour is one of the most exciting specialty flours on the market. Naturally gluten and grain-free, it’s simply made of the finest pecans and nothing else, Try adding it to your favorite cookie, cake, or bread, recipe, subbing in ½ cup of pecan flour for an equal amount of all-purpose flour. Or you can incorporate it into your favorite press-in crusts for pie or cheesecakes.
If you’re already planning your holiday gift list, consider gifting one of Schermer’s many pecan products, like their Baker’s Box. It’s the perfect supply of pecans for the artisan home baker, including 3 (12-ounce) bags of medium pecan pieces and 3 (12-ounce) bags of fancy pecan halves. Or you can take advantage of current fresh pecan harvest and buy by the case, parceling out individual pecan present bundles! Buying pecans at the peak of harvest promises the finest-tasting pecans. And there’s no need to rush to bake. Store your pecans in the freezer, and you can enjoy them throughout the year.
- Crust:
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (227 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cup (90 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- Brownie:
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (4-ounce) bar semisweet chocolate, chopped
- Caramel:
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 9 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) cold unsalted butter
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (0.75 gram) kosher salt
- Topping:
- 2 (4-ounce) bars (230 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (113 grams) chopped pecans, toasted
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with heavy-duty foil, letting excess extend over sides of pan. Spray with baking spray with flour.
- For crust: In the work bowl of a food processor, combine flour, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Pulse until mixture is crumbly, 12 to 14 times. Reserve ⅓ cup crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture into bottom of prepared pan.
- Bake until lightly browned, about 14 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes.
- For brownie: In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add melted butter, eggs, and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate. Spread over prepared crust.
- Bake until firm to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes.
- For caramel: In a large heavy saucepan, place sugar. In a small bowl, stir together 9 tablespoons water and corn syrup. Pour over sugar, swirling to coat. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until mixture is amber brown, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter, stirring until melted (mixture will foam). In a microwave-safe bowl, heat cream over high heat until hot but not boiling, about 40 seconds. Slowly add hot cream, vanilla, and salt to sugar mixture, stirring until smooth. Let cool slightly. Reserve ½ cup caramel. Pour remaining caramel over brownie.
- For topping: Sprinkle brownies with chocolate, pecans, and reserved ⅓ cup crumb mixture.
- Bake for 5 minutes. (The crumb topping will not be browned.) Let cool completely at room temperature overnight (do not refrigerate—the chocolate will bloom). Using excess foil as handles, remove from pan, and cut into bars. Just before serving, drizzle with reserved ½ cup caramel.
I would like to send these bars to my Dad for Thanksgiving. I would ship them early am, they would travel ups ground and arrive the following day. Weather would be high in the 50’s low in the 30’s. Would they travel? Thanks so much! Love your site… Mary
Hey Mary,
Thanks for reaching out! You should have no problem mailing these turtle bars in the conditions you suggest. We do have one suggestion. When mailing, it might be best to store the caramel sauce in a separate Tupperware than the turtle bars. The caramel drizzle on top will probably stick to whatever you pack it in, and it might lose it’s gorgeous appearance. Instead, allow your Dad to drizzle the caramel himself over the bars once he receives it, so that he can enjoy these turtles in all their glory. Happy baking!
These were solid. Very heavy and sweet, so a small square is enough. Next time, I will not reserve any of the crumb mixture or caramel. I think the simpler presentation will be more appealing.