Sweet and Chewy Turtle Bars (Printable)

Buttery bars layered with chocolate, caramel, and pecans, topped with golden oat crumbles for the perfect chewy bite.

# What you need:

→ Crust & Topping

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup rolled oats
03 - 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
04 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
06 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
07 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

→ Filling

08 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
09 - 1 cup chopped pecans

→ Caramel Layer

10 - 1 cup caramel sauce
11 - 1/4 cup heavy cream

# How to make it:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9-inch baking pan with butter or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, salt, and baking soda. Mix until crumbly texture forms.
03 - Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan to form crust foundation.
04 - Bake crust for 10 minutes until slightly golden.
05 - In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine caramel sauce and heavy cream. Stir constantly until smooth and well combined. Remove from heat.
06 - Remove crust from oven. Evenly sprinkle chocolate chips over warm crust, then sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
07 - Pour warm caramel sauce evenly over chocolate and pecans.
08 - Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly over caramel layer.
09 - Return pan to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until topping is golden brown.
10 - Remove from oven and cool completely in pan on wire rack. Once cooled, cut into squares.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They taste like candy but come together with pantry staples and zero tempering or tricky techniques.
  • The contrast between chewy caramel, crunchy pecans, and buttery crumble makes every bite feel like a little celebration.
02 -
  • Do not skip the initial baking of the crust or the bottom will turn gummy and soft once the caramel soaks in.
  • Let the bars cool completely before cutting, otherwise the caramel will smear and the layers will slide apart.
03 -
  • Toast your pecans in a dry skillet for a few minutes before chopping them to deepen their flavor and make them extra fragrant.
  • Use parchment paper with an overhang so you can lift the entire slab out of the pan before cutting, which makes slicing much easier and cleaner.
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