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Turtle Brownies

Turtle brownies with fudgy chocolate batter, thick caramel swirls, and toasted pecan halves pressed into the top. Baked until set with moist crumbs, then finished with a chocolate drizzle and flaky sea salt.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For fudgy brownies
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 8 oz dark chocolate
  • 1.5 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1.25 cup flour
  • 0.5 cup cocoa
  • 0.5 tsp salt
For turtle topping
  • 0.5 cup thick caramel sauce
  • 1.5 cup pecan halves toasted
  • 0.5 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted for drizzle
  • 0.1 tsp flaky sea salt

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment.
  2. Melt the butter and dark chocolate together, then cool slightly.
Make the brownie batter
  1. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
  2. Fold in the flour, cocoa, and salt just until no dry streaks remain.
Assemble the turtle brownies
  1. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
  2. Drizzle the thick caramel sauce over the top and swirl with a knife.
  3. Press the toasted pecan halves across the surface so they adhere to the batter.
Bake and finish
  1. Bake for 28-32 minutes, until the brownies are set with moist crumbs.
  2. Cool completely, then drizzle with the melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.
  3. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top to finish.

Notes

For clean caramel swirls, drizzle the caramel in thin ribbons and make only a few quick knife passes—over-swirl can mix it too evenly. Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated up to 5 days; freeze baked brownies up to 2 months. For a gluten-free swap, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the flour.