Gourmet Caramel Turtle Brownies

GOURMET CARAMEL TURTLE BROWNIES

1/28/2023

If you love Turtle candies, you are going to LOVE Gourmet Caramel Turtle Brownies! A rich, ultra-fudgy, dark chocolate brownie base is filled with rich caramel and pecans, topped with a silky smooth chocolate glaze before being drizzled with even more buttery caramel sauce and sprinkled with pecan pieces. These are sinfully delicious and unapologetically decadent and indulgent - well worth the splurge for something special!

Gourmet Caramel Turtle Brownies

WHAT IS THE SECRET FOR THE BEST GOURMET BROWNIES?

For gourmet brownies, in addition to using premium chocolate and cocoa, only the best ingredients will give you the texture, richness and depth of flavor we all crave. Make sure to use fresh ingredients for the best results! I’ve made so many cakes, cookies and brownies through the years, and these are my recommendations:

Butter: Land O Lakes Unsalted Butter or KerryGold. Avoid generic/bargain brands of butter, which often contain water, which will strip your brownies of a perfect shiny sheen on top – and we LOVE a brownie with the perfect sheen!
Flour: King Arthur All Purpose Unbleached Flour is my favorite (it contains more gluten than other brands). Pillsbury All Purpose is my back-up, but weighs differently – make sure to adjust as necessary. (For reference, King Arthur is 120g per cup, Pillsbury is 129g per cup.)
Granulated Sugar: Domino Pure Cane Sugar
Baking Powder: Make sure that you use “aluminum-free” baking powder to avoid a tinny flavor. Rumford is one of the oldest and trusted brands.
Salt: To avoid a tinny flavor, never use iodized salt in brownies. Morten Non-Iodized Table Salt is my preferred brand for cooking and baking. For sea salt flakes, I use Maldon Sea Salt Flakes.
Vanilla: Nielsen-Massey and Rodelle are my preferred brands for Pure Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Bean Paste - both are made with the highest-quality Bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar.
Espresso Powder: King Arthur Espresso Powder is my favorite!
Other Extracts & Flavorings: Rodelle (rodellevanilla.com), Cooks (cooksvanilla.com) and Amoretti (amoretti.com) brands make my favorite extracts and emulsions. Keep in mind that extracts and emulsions have different strengths, so watch your measurements and use recommended amounts.

RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE BEST BROWNIES:

If I can only share one baking secret with you, always use a DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALE. You can use measuring cups and spoons for most recipes, but using a digital scale makes for the more consistent and efficient baking. Take this from someone that bakes A LOT!
For a rich and robust chocolate flavor, I recommend using only high-quality chocolate for this recipe. Since there are only a few ingredients, each one really shines through! I prefer Ghirardelli or Lindt dark chocolate bars with at least 70% chocolate for the melted chocolate, and Ghirardelli chocolate chips.
If your brownie recipe calls for it, don’t skip the espresso powder! It helps enhance the flavor of chocolate without adding an intense coffee flavor. Whisking cocoa powder and espresso powder into boiling water until smooth allows the chocolate flavor to bloom - don't skip this step if called for in your recipe!
Don't overbeat your brownie batter! Mix your dry ingredients in with a spatula just until blended for a perfectly shiny, crispy, and crackly top - the way a brownie should be!
Baking brownies low and slow is the way to go! 325 to 350 degrees is the perfect temp for baking the best brownies.
Be sure you don’t overbake the brownies! They should not be liquidly when you pull them out of the oven, but should have a little jiggle in the middle. The brownies will firm up as they cool. Over-baked brownies will not be chewy or fudgy.

After removing from the oven, I suggest you place the brownies on a wire rack and cool completely before frosting and slicing. They usually come to room temperature within a few hours - and although waiting for this may be the hardest part, they are worth the wait!
Don’t use glass baking dishes for brownies or blondies – the baking times and results will vary wildly, and the heat retention of glass can lead to overbaking and dryness.

Gourmet Caramel Turtle Brownies

GOURMET CARAMEL TURTLE BROWNIES

Gourmet Caramel Turtle Brownies

INGREDIENTS:
BROWNIE BASE:
3 large eggs (room temperature)
3/4 cup (6 ounces or 1-½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup (6 ounces) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips)
1-½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 1-1/2 Tablespoons (71g) cake flour
½ cup and 1 Tablespoon (60g) Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

CARAMEL:
2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
1/3 cup and 1 teaspoon (3 ounces) heavy whipping cream
4 Tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
12 ounces Werther’s Original Chewy Caramels (these set-up better than Werther’s Soft Caramels)
2 Tablespoons and 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
2 Tablespoons canola oil or coconut oil
2/3 cup (4 ounces) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips)
2/3 cup (4 ounces) milk chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli Premium Milk Chocolate Chips)
1 cup chopped pecans

HOW I MAKE THESE:

Remove eggs from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
PREPARE CARAMEL SAUCE: In a medium (2 quart) heavy saucepan or saucier, stir together the butter and cream. Begin to melt the mixture over medium-low heat.
Unwrap the caramels, and as each is individual unwrapped, add it separately to the mixture. (Don’t make the mistake I did and unwrap all of the caramels before you start – they will clump together – which is something you don’t want!)
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently with a silicone spatula, until the caramels are melted and the mixture is completely smooth.
Sift the flour directly onto the top of the mixture, stir in well.
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a full boil, stirring constantly; boil for 30 seconds.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla; set aside.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving about a one-inch overhang on all sides. Lightly grease the foil in the pan with vegetable shortening, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
PREPARE BROWNIES: In a small heavy saucepan, cut the butter into pieces and melt over low heat. Add the unsweetened bittersweet chocolate chips to the melted butter, whisking together until melted and smooth. Remove pan from stove and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk the eggs.
Place the granulated sugar and salt in a separate small bowl, then whisk into the eggs just until blended.
Briefly stir the melted chocolate mixture, then gradually drizzle into the egg mixture, whisking constantly just until combined.
Whisk in the vanilla extract.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and baking cocoa. Sift through a fine mesh strainer directly into the batter. Stir with a silicone spatula just until blended.
Stir in chopped pecans and chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a small offset spatula.
Bake for 21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove brownies from oven and immediately poke the top of the brownies all over with a wooden stick (the end of a wooden spoon or chopstick both work great!)
Immediately pour half of the warm caramel sauce evenly over the top of the brownies, spread gently and evenly with a small offset spatula. The warm caramel sauce will naturally seep down into the holes you have poked. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
PREPARE CHOCOLATE GLAZE: In the bottom of a double boiler, add just enough water so that it does not reach the bottom of the top double boiler insert at all – I usually allow for about an inch of clearance. Bring water just to boiling – simmering but not bubbling. Remove from heat.
In the top double boiler, add the canola oil, bittersweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally with a silicone spatula, just until all of the chips are melted and smooth.
Immediately pour the glaze over the caramel layer. Using a small offset spatula, spread the chocolate glaze evenly. Let sit at room temperature or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Warm up the remaining Caramel Sauce, and drizzle on top of chocolate glaze. Immediately sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped pecans.
Let the glazed slab sit at room temperature for 30 minutes then refrigerate the pan for at least 8 hours or overnight before slicing and serving.
Brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you plan to freeze or refrigerate these brownies, you can prevent sugar bloom of the Chocolate Glaze by preventing temperature shocks. When chocolate comes out of a cold location (freezer or refrigerator), it should be stored in a warm location until it comes to room temperature before opening the package to keep direct condensation from forming.

YIELD: 12 large squares or 24 smaller bars

Original recipe by Snowflakes & Coffeecakes January 2023.

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