Decadent Sweet Chewy Turtle Bars (Printable)

Chewy oat bars swirled with caramel, chocolate chips, and pecans bake into golden squares perfect for sharing.

# 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:

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 prepared pan to form crust base.
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 pecan layer.
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 16 squares.

# Expert Hacks:

01 -
  • Every bite delivers that perfect contrast of chewy oat crust, gooey caramel, and snappy chocolate you crave in a candy shop turtle.
  • The crumb topping bakes into buttery golden clusters that crunch softly against the melted layers beneath.
  • You can make these bars ahead and stash them for the week, though they rarely last that long once people catch the scent.
  • One pan feeds a crowd without the fuss of rolling truffles or tempering chocolate.
02 -
  • Do not skip the parchment paper if you want clean edges, the caramel has a habit of welding itself to the pan corners.
  • If your caramel sauce is too thick, it won't spread evenly, so warming it with a little cream is essential.
  • Cutting these bars while they are still warm will give you a gooey mess instead of neat squares, patience pays off here.
  • Press the crust firmly into the pan or it will crumble when you try to cut through the layers later.
03 -
  • Toast your pecans in a dry skillet for three minutes before adding them to the bars, the nutty aroma will deepen and the flavor will punch through the caramel.
  • If you want perfectly even squares, chill the pan in the fridge for ten minutes before cutting, the caramel will firm up just enough to slice cleanly.
  • Use a bench scraper or offset spatula to lift the bars out of the pan without breaking the corners.
  • For a richer caramel layer, reduce the heavy cream slightly in the saucepan before stirring in the caramel sauce.
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