During the holidays I experimented with how to make candy Turtles a little less tedious. No dice on that one, but serendipitously these Buckeye Turtle Brownies were born. I couldn’t stomach throwing away another perfectly heavenly caramel pecan mixture, so I repurposed it into these insanely good brownies. Who doesn’t want to eat a brownie with a thick, creamy peanut butter topping under gooey caramels, mixed with pecans, and drizzled all over with chocolate?? If I must.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 9X13 brownie mix or recipe (I used the Stop-Looking Brownie recipe)
- Peanut Butter Topping:
- 6 tbsp. butter softened
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1½ tbsp. milk
- Turtle Topping:
- 11 oz. bag of caramels, unwrapped
- 1½ cups chopped pecans
- 2 tbsp. milk
- Chocolate Topping:
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. vegetable oil
- kosher salt, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bake your 9X13 brownie mix or recipe according to directions. If you are using the Stop-Looking Brownie recipe I did not mix in the last cup of chocolate chips before baking, but you can if you want. Cool brownies completely.
- For the peanut butter topping, beat all ingredients together in a medium bowl until light, fluffy, and well mixed. Press the peanut butter topping gently on the cooled brownies using an offset spatula or fingers.
- In a microwaveable safe bowl place caramels and milk and heat on high for about 2 minutes, stopping to stir intermittently. Remove immediately just after caramels are smooth and melted. Pour in chopped pecans, mix, and then pour over peanut butter layer.
- In another microwavable safe bowl place chocolate chips and vegetable oil. Melt on high for about 1½ minutes, stirring occasionally until chocolate is just melted and smooth. Pour over caramel layer and smooth with offset spatula. Sprinkle with kosher salt, if desired