Name: Quicker Turtle Brownies
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup (3 ounces/85 grams) cake flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 1-inch pieces; 3 ounces (85 grams) unsweetened chocolate , chopped fine; 1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar; 2 large eggs; 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract; 20 soft caramel candies; 3 tablespoons heavy cream; 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces/142 grams) pecans , toasted and chopped

Why This Recipe Works

Instead of making a caramel sauce from scratch, we doctored up store-bought caramels. We parbaked the bottom layer and used nuts as a barrier to keep the caramel from sinking completely through the brownie.

Before You Begin

Hershey’s Unsweetened Baking Bar is our taste-test winner. Toast the pecans in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Make foil sling by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so that they are as wide as 8-inch baking pan. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Spray with vegetable oil spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl. Microwave butter and chocolate in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk sugar, eggs, and 1½ teaspoons vanilla into chocolate mixture. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing until combined. Scrape ¾ cup batter into prepared pan and spread into even layer. Bake until center is just set, 12 to 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave caramels, cream, remaining ¾ teaspoon vanilla, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Reserve 2 tablespoons caramel mixture for topping. Sprinkle parbaked brownies with half of pecans and pour remaining caramel mixture evenly over pecans. Top with remaining brownie batter and remaining pecans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few dry crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let brownies cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Reheat reserved caramel mixture in microwave for 30 seconds, drizzle over brownies, and let sit for 30 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan and cut into 16 pieces. Serve. (Brownies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)