Decadent Sweet Chewy Turtle Bars (Printable)

Caramel swirls coat toasted oats and tender pecans with melted chocolate pooling into each crevice. Butter crumb topping bakes golden.

# What You'll 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 establish crust foundation.
04 - Bake crust for 10 minutes until slightly golden in appearance.
05 - In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine caramel sauce and heavy cream. Stir constantly until smooth and fully incorporated. Remove from heat.
06 - Remove crust from oven. Evenly distribute chocolate chips over warm crust, then sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
07 - Pour warm caramel mixture evenly over chocolate and pecan layers.
08 - Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly across caramel layer.
09 - Return pan to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until topping achieves golden brown coloration.
10 - Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in pan on wire rack. Once cooled to room temperature, cut into 16 equal squares.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crumb topping stays tender and golden without turning into granola rubble.
  • Caramel seeps into every corner without making the bars soggy or impossible to cut cleanly.
  • You can prep the crust and filling while the oven preheats, so there's no waiting around.
  • They taste even better the next day once the caramel firms up and the flavors settle in.
02 -
  • Do not skip the parchment overhang or you will spend twenty minutes prying bars out of the pan with a butter knife.
  • Cut the bars when they are completely cool, warm caramel will drag and smear across your knife no matter how sharp it is.
  • If your caramel sauce is too thick, add cream one tablespoon at a time until it pours easily but does not run like water.
03 -
  • Press the crust firmly into the corners of the pan or it will puff up during baking and leave gaps for caramel to seep under.
  • If you drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled bars, let it set in the fridge for ten minutes so it hardens into clean snappable lines instead of smearing when you cut.
  • Use a bench scraper or a long thin knife to slice through the layers in one smooth motion, wiping the blade between cuts keeps the edges clean.
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