Decadent Sweet Chewy Turtle Bars (Printable version)

Buttery oat crumb layered with chocolate chips, pecans, and smooth caramel for irresistible chewy squares.

# Needed ingredients:

→ 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 the bottom of prepared pan to form crust.
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 Suggestions:

01 -
  • The crumb topping stays tender and chewy, never hard or dry, even days later.
  • Caramel seeps into every crevice, so each square delivers that sweet, sticky pull you crave.
  • You can mix the dough in one bowl and skip the stand mixer entirely.
  • They taste like expensive candy but cost a fraction and feed a crowd.
02 -
  • Cut these only after they've cooled fully, or the caramel will pull and smear all over the knife.
  • If your caramel is too thick, add cream one tablespoon at a time until it drizzles easily.
  • Line the pan with parchment or you'll spend twenty minutes scraping caramel off the corners.
03 -
  • Toast the pecans in a dry skillet for three minutes before adding them, it brings out a deeper, almost smoky flavor.
  • Press the bottom crust firmly into the pan so it doesn't crumble when you cut the bars later.
  • If you double the recipe, use a 9x13-inch pan and add five minutes to the final bake time.
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