Easy, scrumptious Turtle Brownies topped with sweet caramel, nutty pecans, salty pretzels and a drizzle of rich chocolate. This sweet and salty combo dessert will a crowd-pleaser and serve a large group. A great dessert for your next potluck, large gathering or crowd!
Are you looking for the winning brownie recipe? If you love caramel and nuts or if you like sweet and salty combos, these caramel pecan brownies are your ticket. Baked in a half sheet, this recipe is perfect for your next potluck, large gathering or big-crowd event. It makes a whooping 48 decent 2×2 inch squares, plenty for everyone.
HOW TO MAKE TURTLE BROWNIES?
These aren’t just turtle brownies, they are easy turtle brownies with a crunchy salty twist. This brownies recipe is quite simple to make. They are made with my favorite brownie recipe as the base then layered with chunks of pecans, pretzels, caramel and chocolate. They are beautifully decadent and delicious; sure to be a crowd-pleaser for their eyes and taste buds.
Brownies are a very simple dessert to make and this recipe is no exception. You will start by making the brownie batter. This recipe makes a large batch, enough for a half cookie sheet, therefore I highly recommend using a sturdy stand mixer.
If you want an extra nutty kick, feel free to add up to 2 cups extra pecans to the batter.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
The ingredients needed to make this Turtle Brownies recipe are simple. You may already have then in your pantry and fridge.
- Kylie’s Famous Sheet Brownies – butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, cocoa powder, flour
- Pretzels – broke into small pieces
- Pecans – chopped
- Caramel – homemade soft caramel is definitely best but store-bought will work too
- Cream – you will add this to the caramel to soften and the chocolate to make a ganache
- Chocolate – for the pretty drizzle
MAKING KYLIE’S FAMOUS SHEET BROWNIES (the base):
- Using the creaming method, cream the butter and sugars together. This will take several minutes. The mixture will lighten in color and become fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time then add the vanilla.
- In a large bowl, blend the dry ingredients together then add to the sugar egg mixture. Mix ONLY until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Avoid overmixing.
- Pour and spread evenly over a half size cookie sheet then bake.
5. While the brownies are baking, prep the topping ingredients (caramel, pecans, pretzels and chocolate ganache).
6. Once the brownies are cooled, use the prepared items above to turn the brownie base into glorious turtle brownies with a salty twist.
CAN I USE STORE-BOUGHT CARAMEL?
I highly recommend using my homemade caramel recipe as it really “makes” these brownies but I understand that sometimes we are in a time crunch and need to go semi-homemade. Yes, you can use store-bought caramel squares or caramel chips for these Turtle Brownies. You will still want to add cream to the caramel to make it softer at room temperature.
CAN THIS CARAMEL PECAN BROWNIES RECIPE BE HALVED?
Yes! This recipe can be halved. You will bake in a 9×13 inch pan rather than a cookie sheet. Bake time will need to be adjusted. Begin checking for doneness around 25 minutes. If halved you will end up with about 24 2×2 inch brownie squares.
LOOKING FOR MORE DELICOUS BROWNIES RECIPES? TRY ONE OF THESE:
- PEANUT BUTTER FROSTED BROWNIES – my all time favorite. If you’re a Reese’s fan you will LOVE these!
- QUICK & EASY SMORES BROWNIES – made using a box brownie mix but so much better.
- STRAWBERRY BANANA CREAM BROWNIES
- ENGLISH TOFFEE CAKE BROWNIES
- CHEWY TOFFEE BROWNIES – uses a box brownie mix
- DAINTY BROWNIE TEACAKES – perfect for a tea party or dessert platter
- MINI BROWNIES CUPS
- KYLIE’S FAMOUS BROWNIES – my favorite “Plain Jane” brownie recipe
HERE’S THE FULL PRINTABLE TURTLE BROWNIES RECIPE. ENJOY!
Easy Turtle Brownies {for a crowd}
Turtle Brownies topped with sweet caramel, nutty pecans, salty pretzels and a drizzle of rich chocolate. Great for a large crowd!
Ingredients
Brownie Base:
- 2 cups softened butter, 1 lb
- 3 cups white sugar, 600 g
- 1 cup brown sugar, 210 g
- 8 eggs, 18 oz
- 1 Tbs vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 360 g
- 3/4 cups cocoa powder, about 65 g
- 3/4 tsp salt
Toppings:
- 11-14 oz caramel, about 36-46 squares (see notes) + 1/3 cup cream
- 2 cups pecans, roughly chopped, 65 g
- 4 oz pretzels, broke into small pieces, about 120 g
Chocolate Ganache:
- 6 oz chocolate chips, semi-sweet or milk - your preference
- 1/4 cup cream, 2 oz
Instructions
Brownie Base:
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Prepare a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together with a stand mixer - about 2 or 3 minutes. Slowly add the eggs in one at a time. Once fully incorporated mix in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the batter mixture until combined. The batter should be thick and similar to a soft cookie dough. Do not over mix the batter. Stop mixing immediately once the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Spread the brownie batter evenly on the cookie sheet pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center of the brownies comes out clean.
- Once the brownies are done let them cool before adding toppings. It is crucial to let it cool completely or the caramel and chocolate will ooze everywhere.
Toppings:
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat caramel and 1/3 cup cream in 30 second intervals until softened. (about 1 minute).
- Drizzle about 1/3 caramel across the brownie base. This will act like glue for the pecans and pretzels.
- Evenly sprinkle pecans and pretzel pieces over caramel then evenly drizzle remaining caramel over toppings.
Chocolate Ganache:
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add chocolate chips and 1/4 cup cream. Heat in the microwave using 30 second intervals until chocolate begins to melt and cream is hot. (about 1 minute)
- Whisk mixture in a small circular motion in the center. As the chocolate absorbs the cream widen your circular motion until all cream has been mixed in and the mixture is dark, rich and smooth.
- If still very warm, let cool for a few minutes. Use a spoon or pour ganache into a ziploc/piping bag with a very small hole. Drizzle over brownies.
- Let brownie toppings cool completely before cutting. For best results refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour to allow caramel and chocolate to become even more firm. This will allow you to get very clean cuts.
- Cut 4 by 6 = 24 bakery size brownies or 8 by 12 = 48 squares
Notes
- I recommend using my Homemade Soft Caramels Recipe but you can use store-bought if you're in a pinch. Caramel recipe can be found here ----> https://kitchencents.com/soft-homemade-caramels/
- If you want an extra nutty turtle brownie add up to 2 cups chopped pecans to the recipe. Add in with dry ingredients.
- This recipe can be halved. Follow same directions but bake in a 9X13 inch baking dish for 25 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.
- Store covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to 7.
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Decadent and indulgent – pairs perfectly with a glass of milk. What a treat!!!
Love love loved this recipe! Turtle brownies are my new favorite.
Wow, all my favorite flavors in one brownie – amazing!
LOve that this batch made so many! Perfect for when we were entertaining and didn’t want to make multiple batches.
That’s a big thing for me. I come from a very large extended family so this recipe is great. Glad you loved it. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness! I’m in love with these brownies. So decadent and delicious!
These are so insanely good! I loved the big batch – was perfect for our family gathering!