Decadent Sweet and Chewy Turtle Bars (Printer view)

Chewy oat crumb bars layered with semisweet chocolate, caramel-swirled pecans, and buttery streusel topping.

# 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

# Directions:

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 form crust.
04 - Bake crust for 10 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from oven.
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 pecans.
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 squares.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The oat crumb layer stays chewy even days later, giving you that perfect contrast with the crunchy pecans.
  • Caramel seeps into every corner, so there's no such thing as a dry bite.
  • You can assemble most of it while the crust bakes, making cleanup faster than you'd think.
  • They slice cleanly once cool, which means you can actually serve them on a plate instead of eating crumbles over the sink.
02 -
  • Do not skip the cooling time, cutting these warm will turn them into a gooey puddle no matter how careful you are.
  • Press the bottom crust firmly or it will crumble when you try to lift the bars out of the pan.
  • If your caramel is too thick to pour, add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time until it flows smoothly.
03 -
  • Toast your pecans in a dry skillet for three minutes before adding them, it deepens their flavor and makes the bars taste even more complex.
  • If the top crumble starts browning too fast, tent the pan loosely with foil for the last five minutes of baking.
  • Use parchment paper with at least two inches of overhang on opposite sides, it turns the pan into a lift-out sling.
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