When I was a kid in Canada I can always remember eating these ooey gooey chocolate caramel sweets that supposedly resembled a turtle and needless to say were called Turtles.
I loved those things. And now I love these Turtle Cookie Bars.So when I was flipping through a cookbook my Mom gave me when I first got married I found these amazing sounding Turtle Cookie Bars. These my friends were a definite must.
Not only for me but also because I was looking for an extra treat to make today. Yes, today is my birthday.
In Italy when it is your birthday, you are the one to invite friends or family out for a coffee or snack, not the other way around. It took me a while to get used to that little tradition.
So tonight I am having a few people over for coffee and dessert. And since it is Christmas time I always make a few pans of Hello Dollies or Seven Layer Bars, which are my Italian family and friends’ favourite Christmas cookie, but this year I decided to try something new.
My next three posts are going to be the 3 desserts I served my friends. To start are these Turtle Cookie Bars.
Turtle Cookie Bars
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2nd Layer
1 cup pecan halves or chopped pecans
2/3 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Pat mixture firmly into an ungreased 13×9 inch pan.
Arrange pecans over crust.
Combine 2/3 cup butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Remove from oven; sprinkle with chocolate morsels. Let stand 2-3 minutes or until slightly melted. Gently swirl chocolate with a knife, leaving some morsels whole (do not spread). Let cool on a wire rack at room temperature until chocolate is set. Cut into squares.