Rich, decadent and packed with the crunch of pecans, these Turtle Brownies are insanely delicious. If you love a good chocolate brownie, you've got to give this recipe a try.They're perfect for the holidays when you're entertaining, potlucks or just any time you're craving for some chocolatey brownies.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Simple: The simplicity of this turtle brownie recipe blows my mind away. It comes together with boxed brownie mix and just a few pantry staples, and barely takes 15 minutes of prep time to make.
- Versatile: Plus, you can bring in lots of variations to the flavor to too- you don't need to just stick to the caramel and pecans.
- Delicious: This has to be one of the most versatile and delicious dessert recipes out there.
🥘 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make these turtle brownies.
- Brownie mix: Serves as the primary base for the chocolatey goodness.
- Vegetable oil: Moistens the brownie batter, ensuring a soft, fudgy texture.
- Eggs: Act as the binding agent, holding the ingredients together.
- Pecans: Give a delightful crunch, adding an interesting texture contrast.
- Caramel bits: Enrich the flavor profile with their sweet and buttery taste.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
📖 Substitutions & Variations
- To add some extra chocolatey flavor, you can add some more chocolate chips or chocolate chunks into the brownie batter. And you can, of course, top the finished brownies with some chocolate frosting instead of using a caramel sauce or caramel topping.
🔪How To Make Turtle Brownies From Scratch
Once you have all the ingredients ready, here's what you'll need to do to make the turtle brownies.
Step One: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a pan with parchment paper or grease it with some non-stick cooking spray. Add the brownie mix, oil, water, and eggs to a large bowl.
Step Two: Stir with the spatula until combined. Do not overmix. Set a small amount of the pecans, caramel bits, and chocolate chips aside to top the brownies with. Then fold the remaining pecans, caramel bits, and chocolate chips into the batter.
Step Three: Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, spread batter almost filling each of the cavities. Sprinkle a few chopped pecans, caramel bits, and chocolate chips on the top of each.
Step Four: Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once the brownies are done, remove the pan from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting. If you have trouble removing the brownies from the pan, gently run a butterknife around all of the edges of each brownie.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Ready to try making these turtle brownies? Here are some tips and tricks you might want to keep note of.
- To add some more crunch factor to these turtle brownies, you can use toasted pecans instead of regular pecans that we used.
- Semi sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips are two other good additions to the brownie batter.
- If you're making homemade brownies, and not used a boxed mix, make sure you use the highest quality ingredients like unsweetened cocoa powder (ideally Dutch process cocoa powder), unsalted butter, granulated sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, baking soda and some light brown sugar for the flour mixture.
- Remember to use unsweetened or semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, or you'll end up making the brownies overly sweet.
- Make sure the brownies cool completely before you try to remove them from the pan and cut them.
- If you love the flavor of caramel, you can also mix some caramel sauce into the batter as you're pouring it into the prepared pan. Remember not to overmix the caramel layer and let it shine through.
💭 FAQs
Yes, you can substitute pecans with walnuts or almonds for a different crunch and flavor. Just make sure to chop them to similar sizes for consistency.
If you don't have caramel bits, you can drizzle caramel sauce over the brownies after they are baked, or mix caramel chunks into the batter for a rich, gooey texture.
Store leftover brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, or refrigerate them for longer shelf life. Reheat in the microwave for a warm treat.
Absolutely! You can use your favorite homemade brownie recipe instead of the boxed mix. Just be sure to adjust the baking time as needed based on your batter consistency.
You can store your leftover brownies in an airtight container for 2-3 days, or refrigerate them if you want them to last longer. Remember to warm brownies in the microwave before you serve them.
🧂Serving Suggestions
These are my favorite ways to serve brownies:
- The best, easiest way to serve these caramel pecan brownies is to team them up with some vanilla ice cream and a light drizzle of salted Caramel Sauce.
- I also like to sprinkle some chopped pecans to bring a fun finishing touch to the brownies.
- The combination of warm brownies and a Vanilla Milkshake With Sprinkles is a match made in heaven. I love to eat brownies with milkshake.
🍽 Related Recipes
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Turtle Brownies
Ingredients
- 18.3 ounce Boxed Brownie Mix
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil
- 3 tablespoon Water
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Pecans
- 1 cup Caramel Baking Bits
- 1 cup Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a pan with parchment paper or grease it with some non stick cooking spray.
- Add the brownie mix, oil, water, and eggs to a large bowl and stir with the spatula until combined. Do not overmix.
- Set a small amount of the pecans, caramel bits and chocolate chips aside to top the brownies with. Then fold the remaining pecans, caramel bits and chocolate chips into the batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, spread batter almost filling each of the cavities. Sprinkle a few chopped pecans, caramel bits and chocolate chips on the top of each.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once the brownies are done, remove the pan from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting. If you have trouble removing the brownies from the pan, gently run a butterknife around all of the edges of each brownie.
Notes
Nutrition
More Sweet Treat Recipes
If you enjoyed making these salted caramel turtle brownies, and want to try some more chocolate recipes, here are a few good ones to try out.
These Turtle Brownies are the ultimate indulgence—rich, fudgy, and loaded with gooey caramel and crunchy pecans. I love how the boxed brownie mix makes them super easy to whip up, yet they taste like a gourmet treat. Sometimes I sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on top to balance the sweetness. Perfect for holiday gatherings or a cozy night in!