Turtle Bars

Turtle bars turn one of my favorite candies into a rich, decadent dessert.

It’s the most wonderful time of the…oh, never mind. Look, I don’t think I’m shocking anyone by saying this has been a crappy year. And let’s face it, Christmas can be kind of rough for moms, even under the best of circumstances. I’ll never forget one year, my husband looked at me and said “You always get so stressed out this time of year…how come?” Really? Really?!?!? Even now that my kids are older and I’m not having to deal with the whole Santa thing (and thank the sweet Lord, we never did the Elf on the Shelf), there’s still a ton of stuff to do. I know deep down inside I still secretly love it all, but I’m TIRED people! And all I want to do at the end of the day is sit on the couch with a glass of wine and watch Charlie Brown on a loop.

This is one of those recipes I only make at Christmas time. They’re not all that complicated or labor intensive, but they’re soooooooo rich. I could sit down in front of a pan of brownies and eat half of it (ok, maybe all of it, depending on my mood), but these go a long way. They’re layers of shortbread, caramel, nuts and chocolate. And they are to die for.

Turtle Bars

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Servings 16

Ingredients

  

Shortbread Layer

• ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Caramel Layer

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup pecan halves chopped
• coarse sea salt if desired

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In food processor, combine ½ cup unsalted butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar, pinch of salt and flour. Pulse until well combined, about 8-10 times. The mixture will be very crumbly but should hold together when you grab some in your fist.
• Line the bottom of an 8×8 pan with parchment or greased foil. Press the sugar and flour mixture into the bottom of the pan, pressing until well compacted. Bake for 20 minutes or until it barely starts to turn brown. Remove from oven and set aside, but maintain oven temperature.
• When crust is done baking, bring remaining butter, sugar, salt and cream to a boil over high heat using a small saucepan. Stir until sugar dissolves and continue to boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
• Pour caramel over shortbread and sprinkle with pecans. Bake for 20 minutes (caramel should be bubbly and start to darken). Remove from oven and immediately top with chocolate chips. Allow to sit for five minutes to allow chocolate to melt. Spread chocolate over caramel with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired. Chill for 20 minutes, carefully remove from pan and cut into squares.