Turtle Caramel Bars Recipes

BUTTER PECAN TURTLE COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350˚ F.
• In a bowl, combine flour, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup softened butter. Mix at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until well mixed. Pat firmly into greased 13x9 baking pan. Sprinkle pecans over the crust. Set aside.
• In a heavy saucepan combine 1/2 cup packed brown sugar with 2/3 cup butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the entire surface starts to boil. Let boil for 1 minute stirring constantly.
• Pour the caramel mixture evenly over pecans and crust.
• Bake for 18-22 minutes at 350˚ F or until the caramel is bubbly. Remove from oven.
• Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow the chips to melt (2-3 minutes) and then swirl into the caramel. Cool completely before serving.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PECAN TURTLE BARS

Steps:

• Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated 300°F oven until they darken slightly in color and begin to give off a nutty toasted aroma, about 4 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 metal baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• Add flour, brown sugar, and butter to the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture becomes a very crumbly dough.
• Pour the dough into the prepared pan and gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan to create a solid crust. Make sure the crust reaches all the way into the edges and corners of the pan and that there are no holes in the crust.
• Bake the crust until it's a light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool slightly while you prepare the caramel pecan layer.
• In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve. Let the mixture boil without stirring for 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat.
• Sprinkle the toasted pecans over the shortbread crust and pour the caramel over the pecans.
• Return the pan to the oven and bake the bars until the caramel is bubbling and darkens slightly in color, about 15 minutes. Remove the bars from the oven a let cool completely.*
• Once the bars have cooled, prepare the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it's just simmering (not boiling!). Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Then gently whisk the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Pour the chocolate ganache over the cooled bars and spread it into an even layer using a spatula. Let the chocolate set before sprinkling with salt (optional), slicing, and serving the bars.

TOFFEE TURTLE SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-in. baking pan with parchment, letting ends extend up sides., Beat flour, 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter until well blended (mixture will be dry and crumbly). Firmly press into prepared pan. Sprinkle pecans over flour mixture., In a small saucepan, combine remaining brown sugar and remaining butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Carefully pour mixture over pecans. Bake until bubbly and edges start to brown, 15-20 minutes., Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand until chocolate begins to melt; spread evenly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Lifting with parchment, remove from pan. Cut into squares.

GOOEY CARAMEL TURTLE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F Line bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with foil. Combine flour, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Stir in melted butter until soft dough forms. Press dough over bottom of pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Spray sides of foil above crust with cooking spray to prevent caramel from sticking.
• Combine brown sugar, honey, 1/4 cup water and scant 1/2 teaspoon salt in large wide saucepan. Add 1/4 cup butter; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with silicone spatula and scraping corners and bottom of pan as butter melts. From time to time, scrape mixture off spatula against top edge of pan and scrape sides of pan clean. Reduce heat to a moderate boil; stir and scrape pan 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
• Stir in sweetened condensed milk; return to a boil, stirring constantly and scraping sides, corners and bottom of pan. (Adjust heat so mixture boils actively but not too furiously.) Continue stirring and cooking 9 to 12 minutes or until mixture reaches 235°F Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
• Pour over crust; tilt baking pan to level caramel. Sprinkle with pecans and chocolate; let stand until caramel is cool and chocolate is set.
• Lift foil to remove bars from pan. Remove foil; cut into bars. (Bars can be made 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container.)
• TIP *To toast pecans, place on baking sheet; bake at 350°F for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly darker in color. Cool.

TURTLE BARS

Steps:

• Make the base:
• Line the bottom of a greased 13- by 9-inch baking pan with wax paper and grease the paper. In a heavy saucepan melt the butter with the cocoa, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, beat in the brown sugar and the egg, and stir in the flour, the salt, and the vanilla. Spread the mixture in the baking pan, bake it in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 10 minutes, or until it is just firm to the touch and pulls away slightly from the sides, and let it cool in the pan on a rack.
• Make the topping:
• In a heavy saucepan melt the butter, add the brown sugar and the corn syrup, and bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it reaches the hard-ball stage (260°F. on a candy thermometer), remove the pan from the heat, and add the cream and the walnuts carefully, stirring gently. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil it until it reaches the soft-ball stage (240°F. on a candy thermometer). Remove the pan from the heat, let the caramel mixture cool for 1 minute, and stir in the rum.
• Pour the topping over the base, spreading it evenly with the wooden spoon, let it cool, and chill the confection, covered with foil, for 2 hours, or until it is firm. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan, turn the confection out onto a cutting board, and cut it into bars. The bars keep, separated by sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container, chilled, for 1 week.