Turtle Bars

I love it when I can bake a delicious dessert in just a short time. When life is so busy it is nice to have recipes that you can whip up and everybody loves them. This Turtle bar recipe just so happens to be one of those recipes.

I have made them for all sorts of occasions and everybody tells me how much they enjoyed them.
In fact this year when I asked my daughter Lisa what she would like for her birthday dessert she requested these bars.

The crust is a simple one, just flour, butter, and brown sugar, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that it is going to be simple tasting. Then you have the middle, another simple step with butter and brown sugar which you cook up to be your caramel center. Oh yeah, if you like nuts please add that to the top of your crust layer of the bars, but if you don’t like nuts don’t worry these bars are quite yummy without the nuts.

After you bake these bars for a short time you add chocolate chips and let them melt. It doesn’t matter if you like semi sweet or milk chocolate, either kind goes nicely with this bar. The chocolate and the caramel center and the crust with the butter and brown sugar all pair to be this delicious bar/cookie. So in about a half an hour you can have a dessert that not too many will be able to resist.

Turtle Bars (As found in a local cook book)

2 cups A/P flour                                                          2/3 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar                                                      1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter                                                             1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl combine flour, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup butter. Mix at medium speed. Put this mixture into a 9×13 cake pan and use finger tips to pat the mixture so that it is packed down. At this time if you are adding nuts sprinkle over the unbaked crust. In a heavy pan combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2/3 cup butter. Cook over medium heat until mixture starts to boil, continue to boil for 1/2 minute to 1 minute stirring constantly. Pour this mixture over the unbaked crust. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, take out of oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Place this in oven for about 15 seconds, take out and swirl the chocolate chips.