August 2, 2010

Turtle Cookie Bars


I have been wanting to dive into the world of digital SLR cameras, and have been researching different models to the point I have a headache.  My mother-in-law graciously let me borrow her camera, which is a Canon G9, to see if I liked it.  While it is not a DSLR camera, it has the capability to manually set the controls, and you can use different lenses with it.  I played around with it today, and like the improvements I can see in my photos, even though I don't really know what I'm doing.

I used it today when I made these Turtle Cookie Bars.  I love turtle candies, and I love cookies, so I put the two together and made these.  They have a shortbread type cookie bottom, with a layer of salty pecans and caramel, topped with melted milk chocolate and a sprinkling of chopped pecans.  They are decadent and very rich, perfect for small bite sized treats.  It has been near 100 degrees here today, so I kept mine in the fridge and served them cold, but they can be left at room temperature.  Serve with an ice cold glass of milk, and you have the perfect guilty afternoon snack.

Turtle Cookie Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup pecan halves
2 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and butter.  Mix on medium speed until well combined.  Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 pan.  In a small bowl, mix the pecan halves and salt together.  Layer the pecan halves over the crust. 


In a medium pan, cook the butter and brown sugar over medium high heat, until boiling. Cook for 3 minutes, then remove from heat.  Pour the mixture evenly over the pecans.


Place the pan in a 350F oven, and cook for 15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the pecans.  Allow the chips to soften for a few minutes, then gently swirl the chocolate over the pecans.  Sprinkle with finely chopped pecans, and let cool for two hours.  Cut into bars, serve, and enjoy!




12 comments:

  1. My family will love these! Your photos made them seem like they are sitting right in front of me!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my, these look utterly delicious, my kids would love them. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These look great! The pecans are placed perfectly on this! Plus, this just sounds delicious!
    Would you mind checking out my blog? :D http://ajscookingsecrets.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Can't wait to try my hand at baking them. I'm your average baker as well. LOVE trying new baking recipes. The Turtle Cookie Bars look absolutely amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. These are AMAZING! I made them today and ate 2 of them by myself. I'm paying for it now but I don't regret it one bit! Love them! I posted them on our blog BetterThanBurgers.net (linked back to you of course) They should be going up in the next few weeks. Loved them! Thanks for a great recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I already saved this recipe in my favorite list! Bravo, nice work! It really looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gorgeous! My fav combo too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm making these now! They smell SO good and it's a really easy recipe too. Thanks so much for this.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm making these now and they smell SO good! It's a really easy recipe too. Yum!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fast easy and yummy. I eat half before they are in the container to go to their destination.

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from my readers and appreciate your comments! Thanks for visiting:)