Every holiday season, in preparation for my marathon baking weekend with my mother-in-law, we pull out our recipe cards and books to decide what we’ll make again and what we’ll likely do differently than years past. For added inspiration this time around, we dusted off a 2007 issue of Southern Living Christmas at Home magazine – though an old issue, it was still a great resource for a ton of Christmas ideas! And, page 35… Pecan Turtle Bars? Done.
Clearly this recipe was the hit of this year’s cookie trays, as rave reviews came in from all tasters – from the SacFoodies kitchen to the break-room of my husband’s school. So, in the spirit of spreading the love to our readers, here’s that delectable recipe so you, too, can be a hit this holiday!
Pecan Turtle Bars
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups firmly packed light brown sugar, divided
1 ½ cups butter, softened and divided
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped pecans (or cocktail peanuts for a peanutty version)
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
Makes 2 to 3 dozen
Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 7 minutes; Bake time: 25 minutes
Let stand: 3 minutes; Chill time: 1 hour
Beat flour, 1 cup of brown sugar, and ½ cup butter at medium-low speed with an electric mixer until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press firmly in bottom of an ungreased 13x9 inch pan. Sprinkle evenly with pecans.
Stir together remaining ¾ cups brown sugar and 1 cup butter in a 2-qt saucepan over medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until bubbles form around edges. Cook, stirring constantly, 4 more minutes; pour evenly over nuts in pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Remove pan from oven; sprinkle evenly with chocolate morsels. Let stand 3 minutes or until morsels are softened. Swirl chips gently over surface of bars with a knife, creating a marble effect. Cool complete in pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill 1 hour or until chocolate is set. Cut into bars. Enjoy!
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