These turtle cookie bars have two layers of chocolate chip pecan filled cookie, full of gooey caramel in the middle. Everyone will love these cookie bars!
There are some combos that are just meant to be together, peanut butter and jelly, eggs and bacon, and of course, milk and cookies. These turtle cookie bars are thick and chewy, rich, and packed full of so much goodness that I promise you’ll want a huge glass of milk to go right along side them.
We are huge milk fans in our house, you guys. Besides the little guy who is obsessed with it and drinks about two gallons of milk a week, we love having a big cup with breakfast, or with a bowl of cereal, or of course to dunk cookies into. I love how much milk Colby drinks because it’s so nutritious. It’s a good source of calcium and protein, with 9 essential nutrients for our bodies.
Those nutrients will help Colby, and other kids play, and learn, and grow all summer long!
Now onto these cookie bars, these bars have a top and bottom layer of chocolate chip cookie, which is packed full of chocolate chips and pecans, then in the middle is a chewy gooey layer of caramel. The caramel just takes these bars to the next level. Perfection.
The caramel in the middle gives these the chewy texture like a slightly underdone cookie, I swear these might be my new favorite treat. These bars are adapted from this recipe on A Spicy Perspective.
Turtle Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts (chopped)
- 11 oz soft caramels (unwrapped)
- 3 TBS heavy cream
- sea salt
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil and coat completely with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and white sugar for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla, and stir to combine.
- Add in the salt, baking soda and flour and mix until just combined.
- Mix in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts.
- Press half of the cookie dough evenly into the baking dish.
- Add the caramels and heavy cream in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Heat caramels, stirring often, until they are creamy.
- Pour caramels over the cookie dough.
- Drop remaining cookie dough over the caramel by the tablespoon.
- Bake bars in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until they are golden and the center is just set.
- Sprinkle sea salt over the top and allow bars to cool.
- Remove bars from the pan with the foil and cut and serve.
Ellen says
Thanks for bringing these to our potluck picnic. So good, I had 2!
Lisa says
Absolutely delicious! Easy. Unwrapping the caramels was the most difficult task. Sea salt on the finished bars took them over the top. Wow!
Ellen says
I know right, if only there was an automatic caramel unwrapper. So glad you like this.
Amelie Moore says
I love these cookies!! I baked them last night and enjoyed them warm with a big glass of milk, DELICIOUS!!!
Aimee Berrett says
So glad you liked them. Thanks Amelie!
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
These bars look so amazing!! I know I couldn’t stop with just one 🙂