This Turtle Brownies recipe yields decadently thick and fudgey chocolate brownies layered with a homemade caramel sauce, pecans, and chocolate chips. These caramel turtle brownies are rich and chocolatey with the perfect crunch from the pecans. These will be your new favorite brownies to make!
Love chocolate as much as I do? Then you’ve got to try my Easy Chocolate Cake recipe and my Brownie Cookies recipe!
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Turtle Brownies Recipe
I didn’t think brownies could get any better until I drizzled them with caramel sauce and topped them with chopped pecans and chocolate chips. And you all know I love my brownies! I’ve made everything from Bite Size Brownies, to Copycat Cosmic Brownies to even Skillet Brownies for Two!
These homemade Turtle Brownies are AMAZING! Super rich, fudgey and chocolatey. Firm around the edges and soft and chewy on the outside. They’re the perfect chocolate dessert when you’re craving something decadent.
I used as little flour as possible to get a dense, fudgey, chewy brownie. More flour results in a more cake-y brownie. Brown sugar was added for extra sweetness and to give the brownie extra moisture.
And this recipe doesn’t require a mixer! Just a bowl, a spoon, and some elbow grease. The hardest part of this whole recipe is waiting for the brownies to get cool enough to eat and for the caramel to set.
Ingredients for Turtle Brownies
Forget the stuff that comes in a box! You need just a few baking staples to make your own homemade turtle brownies, including browned butter, white and brown sugar, semisweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate), eggs, pure vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, instant coffee granules and salt (to combat all the sweetness).
For the homemade caramel sauce you’ll need unsalted butter, heavy cream, brown sugar and vanilla. Add a pinch of flakey sea salt to take it over the top!
Looking for a turtle brownies recipe with no nuts? Simple omit them from this one! They’ll still be delicious!
How To Make Turtle Brownies
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Then, line a 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 pan with aluminum foil, and lightly spray with cooking spray or grease with butter to prevent the brownies from sticking. Set aside.
- Add butter to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until light brown / caramel in color. 5-10 minutes. Make sure to keep and eye on it so butter does not burn. It also helps to use a light colored saucepan for this.
Pour browned butter into a large bowl along with both sugars, cocoa powder, salt, instant coffee granules and baking powder. Stir until combined and allow to rest for 5 minutes or until the mixture has cooled down.
Stir in the eggs and vanilla and mix until batter has a nice sheen to it.
Fold in the flour and stir until combined. (Do not over mix). Add in the chocolate chips and pecans and stir until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
Take out of the oven and allow the brownies to cool completely before taking them out of the pan. Drizzle the cooled caramel sauce on top of the brownies. Slice into 9 brownies, serve and enjoy!
How To Make Caramel Sauce
Homemade caramel sauce is a lot easier to make then you think!
Add all of the ingredients except for the vanilla to a saucepan. Cook over low-medium heat until thickened stirring occasionally. About 8 minutes. If the sauce isn’t getting a lot thicker turn up the heat a bit and keep and eye on it making sure to whisk constantly. (The sauce will thicken as it cools in the refrigerator).
Take off of the heat and stir in vanilla. Transfer to a container and place in the refrigerator to firm up and cool. When you are ready drizzle on top of turtle brownies!
Storage Instructions
Store turtle brownies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for the same duration.
More Brownie Recipes To Try
Turtle Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 whole large eggs, cold
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, plus more for topping
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 pan with aluminum foil. Lightly spray with cooking spray or grease with butter. Set aside.Add butter to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until light brown / caramel in color. 5-10 minutes. Make sure to keep and eye on it so butter does not burn. It also helps to use a light colored saucepan for this.
- Pour browned butter into a large bowl along with both sugars, cocoa powder, salt, instant coffee granules and baking powder. Stir until combined and allow to rest for 5 minutes or until the mixture has cooled down.
- Stir in the eggs and vanilla and mix until batter has a nice sheen to it.
- Fold in the flour and stir until combined. (Do not over mix).
- Add in the chocolate chips and pecans and stir until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Take out of the oven and allow the brownies to cool completely before taking them out of the pan.
- Drizzle the cooled caramel sauce on top of the brownies.
- Top with pecans and chocolate chips. Place the brownies in the refrigerator to set for at least 30 minutes.
- Slice into 9 brownies, serve and enjoy!
Caramel Sauce
- Add all of the ingredients except for the vanilla to a saucepan. Cook over low-medium heat until thickened stirring occasionally. About 8 minutes. If the sauce isn't getting a lot thicker turn up the heat a bit and keep and eye on it making sure to whisk constantly. (The sauce will thicken as it cools in the refrigerator).
- Take off of the heat and stir in vanilla. Transfer to a container and place in the refrigerator to firm up and cool.
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
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April
These look amazing!!
Karen M
These would be great if they actually came out fudgy instead of dry and cakey. No amount of caramel sauce would help. Maybe 1/4 cup flour?
Gayle
Wow I’m in love with the caramel topping, Kelley! These brownies sound amazing! I think I would devour this entire pan!
David
Oh man, I would pay big bucks to have a tray of those brownies in front of me right now. They look delicious…and perfect for weekend dessert on the couch! 🙂
Jess
Eeeek! I am SO excited over here. I LOVE turtles, I mean caramel and chocolate is always a winner right? But throw in brownies in there too – its heavenly! Gorgeous photos too!
Mary Ann
Kelley these look fab-u-lous!! Count me in for anything turtle!!
Cathleen
These brownies look insane, in the best possible way! The caramel sauce? Omg, it looks like heaven!
Claudia
OMG my mouth is watering just looking at these pictures Kelley! Brownies are one of my (many) serious food weakness, especially when they are on the dark, fudgy end of the spectrum (definitely a less flour girl!). I love all the toppings you have paired them with here too – especially the caramel! You really couldn’t leave me along with that pan…you might come back half an hour later to find that they had all disappeared haha!!
Julie
You’re right! These couldn’t get any better! Love that ooey gooey caramel!
Fareeha
oh wow.. this is so not fair.. im drooling over this and craving it so badly.. now what do i do.. need to try this asap
mira
So easy to make, these brownies look amazing! Great recipe Kelley!