Turtle Brownies
If you’ve never had a turtle before, you’re missing out. I’m not talking about the animal turtle, but the turtle candy of course! Turtles are one of my father’s all time favorite candies and have a fantastic flavor with pecans submerged in caramel and covered in chocolate. They are truly an addictive treat. When I was trying to come up with delicious brownie variations, having become bored with the same old, same old all the time, my mind went straight to these delicious candies and this recipe is based on them.
The base recipe for these treats is the same recipe as my Best-Ever Brownies. I figured “Why mess with perfection?”, and I just added to that already fantastic recipe. The only change I made to the base recipe is that I removed the chocolate chips at the end. So I simply pour the batter into my prepared pan and bake as is. These will serve as our brownie base.
The next layer to be added is the caramel-pecan layer. I cheat here to make it easier on myself and everyone else and use pre-made caramels. The only thing you need to do is melt them down with some cream and you’ll have the perfect consistency to hold it’s shape but still be a little ooey-gooey. When I first started developing this recipe I would put the pecans on the brownies first and then pour the caramel over the top. I found that this did nothing but frustrate me as the pecans moved all around the pan as I was spreading the caramel. Also doing it the opposite way stuck the pecans out to too high, and I ended up having to press the pecans down into the caramel which made my hands a sticky mess. I concluded that the only right and proper thing to do was to mix the pecans and caramel together and then pour the whole lot over the brownies. Success.
The last thing to add is our final layer of chocolate. In the turtle candies, this would be a tempered chocolate, but I found that I got enough texture from the pecans and I didn’t want another hard substance over top. I therefore chose to use a chocolate ganache instead. This is made by heating up cream and pouring it over the top of chocolate, and allowing it to sit for a minute before stirring together. This sauce will firm up in the refrigerator, but still have a chew to it much like brownies themselves. I use a squeeze bottle to drizzle the ganache over the top to make it look more stylish, but you can just pour over and it will still taste fantastic!
All-in-all I am so thrilled at how this recipe turned out. These brownies are truly on of my favorite recipes that I’ve ever written. A note of warning though, they are HIGHLY addictive. So it’s best to share them with friends so you don’t end up sitting in your kitchen in the middle of the night with a plate of brownies stuffing your face into a sugar rush. Not that this has happened to me….cough.
Remember you don’t have to be a professional chef to make magic in your kitchen!
Joe the Blue Wizard
Turtle Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 Stick (113 g) Unsalted Butter
- 4 oz. (113 g) Unsweetened Chocolate
- 4 Large Eggs
- ¼ Tsp. (1.5 g) Salt
- 2 Cups (400 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tsp. (5 mL) Vanilla
- 1 Cup (120 g) Flour
- 9 oz. (255 g) Soft Caramel Candies
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) Heavy Cream
- 1 cup (125 g) Chopped Pecans
- 8 oz (227 g) Semi Sweet Chocolate, chopped fine
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp. (5 mL) Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F
- Grease a 13x9 pan lined with foil.
- Melt butter and chocolate in a microwave for 2 minutes on high, stirring every 30 seconds. (Warning: Microwaves may vary on times) Set this mixture aside to cool slightly.
- Beat eggs and salt until light in color and foamy in texture. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until thick and foamy.
- Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture until just combined.
- Stir in flour with a spoon or spatula just until combined.
- Scrape batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before proceeding with recipe.
- In a small saucepan place caramel candies and heavy cream.
- Cook over a medium low heat, stirring until the candies are melted and the cream is evenly incorporated.
- Remove from the heat then add chopped pecans and stir to combine.
- Pour mixture over cooled brownies and spread evenly over the top.
- Heat heavy cream in the microwave until just beginning to bubble, 1-2 minutes.
- Place chocolate in a small bowl and cover with the hot cream and add vanilla extract.
- Allow mixture to sit for 1 minute then stir well to evenly combine, this will take some time.
- Place ganache into a squeeze bottle and pipe a drizzle over the top of the caramel on the brownies. Alternately, pour the entire ganache mixture over the top for complete coverage.
- Chill brownies until ganache is set.
- Cut into 24 bars and enjoy!
