Pecan Turtle Brownies Recipe
Pecans and caramel meet cakey, moist brownies—need we say more?
This recipe was featured as part of both our Super Bowl Party Playbook menu and our Chocolate Desserts recipe slideshow.
For the brownies:
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into pea-size pieces
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), plus more for coating the baking dish
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the caramel-pecan topping:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
- Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with butter; set aside.
- Combine the chocolate and measured butter in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
- Whisk the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl until the eggs are broken up and smooth. Add the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour and baking powder and stir until just incorporated.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove to a rack and cool completely.
For the caramel-pecan topping:
- Combine the sugar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until the sugar has completely dissolved. Continue to boil, swirling the pan occasionally (but not stirring), until the mixture turns a deep amber color, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, carefully pour in the cream and vanilla (the mixture will bubble up and steam), and stir until evenly combined.
- Stir the pecans into the caramel mixture and immediately drizzle over the brownies. Spread evenly to cover the brownies. Cool completely before cutting.

itsapeugeot, baking recipes are carefully calculated measurements and messing with proportions will give you weird results. Sugar lends moisture to baked goods, so that is probably why you had sad, dry brownies. Amy Wisniewski, CHOW test kitchen
we just made these and got a dried out cakey texture instead of gooey brownies. Could this be because we decided to halve the sugar for the brownies? The toothpick came out clean only after 15 minutes of baking (instead of the 25 it recommends)...any help would be appreciated.
Wow reluvsfood! it might be good to take a different approach to experimenting with online recipes. To say you "will never again trust any recipes posted" may be a little over-reactive. I always double check anything technique or ingredient I may not be familiar with. To write-off everything else on this or any other site is extreme.
What are your thoughts on pouring half the batter into the dish, adding a layer of caramel, and then adding the rest of the batter, to create a gooey filling for the brownies?
There is a fine line between "deep amber" goodness and smoky burnt toxicity. I so wish this recipe had pre-warned me that you may only have seconds between amber colored sugar and a burned mess of bitterness which then takes your recipe to the next level. Your trash can. I will never again trust any recipes posted on website. My recipe is in the trash and my childrens teacher will be getting nothing for Valentines Day. Got to be a better way to proof recipes.......
I just made this and they were a huge hit. Took them to a potluck/bday party last night, and the leftovers to work today. People are devouring them. The recipe is pretty huge though.
Amy - pretzel pieces (even chocolate covered ones) sound really interesting for a non-nut crowd. thanks for the suggestion. can't wait to try these. Both ways, I'm guessing!
Oy yes indeeded. As BernalKC noted, "There is a fine line between "deep amber" goodness and smoky burnt toxicity." Deep amber is just burned sugar - bitter and awful. If you add toasted pecans to that, it's even worse. The brownie itself is not especially sweet, which would be great if the caramel were cooked properly but with the too-dark caramel, the whole thing was a bloody mess that I regretfully pitched into the trash.
I made two pans of brownies for a party (I used my standard fudge brownie recipe), started the caramel, then thought better of putting nuts on both pans. I just used the two cups of pecans, but put the double recipe of caramel on one pan. I also left the salt out of the caramel but liberally sprinkled it with fleur de sel. They were a huge hit- the un-carameled pan wasn't even touched. They were good enough that I decided I wanted caramel for the second pan, and I made the regular recipe. It was better with more caramel.
If nuts are an issue, try topping the brownies with vanilla ice cream and THEN the caramel ..............
OK, I'm a newbie when it comes to working with caramel. But let other newbies beware. There is a fine line between "deep amber" goodness and smoky burnt toxicity. Read up on the techniques elsewhere and be careful. My first attempt at this recipe was a totally inedible disaster! (But I probably will try again)
jessicam29, Yes the caramel will still work as it's just a caramel sauce with pecans mixed in. The nuts are adding texture and without them it may just be a gooey layer of caramel, but there's nothing wrong with that. You may consider mixing in a replacement for the nuts like toffee bits or pretzel pieces, etc. Let us know how it works out for those other nut-allergic people out there!
will the caramel sauce work if i omit the pecans? i want to take them to a superbowl party but our host's son is allergic to nuts.
Oh my goodness....I LOVE IT!!!! I am trying this as a treat to myself Valentine's Day weekend