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Sliced turtle bars showing gooey chocolate and caramel filling with pecans on a graham cracker crust.

Turtle Bars

Easy turtle bars with chocolate, caramel, and pecans on a graham cracker crust. A rich, gooey dessert baked in one pan.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 20
Author Kelsie

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs from 11 to 12 sheets
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped Rolos
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13- by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. (You can line the pan with parchment paper to lift the bars out easily for slicing but be sure to grease the edges of the pan well since sweetened condensed milk tends to stick.)
  2. Stir the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Firmly press the mixture into an even layer in the bottom of your prepared baking dish. (Using the bottom of a measuring cup is helpful to really condense the crumbs into a crust.)
  3. Layer the chopped rolos, chocolate chips, and chopped pecans evenly over the graham cracker crust. The rolos will naturally stick together once they’re chopped. Just break up the clusters to ensure they’re evenly distributed.
  4. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over everything.
  5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are bubbling and the top is golden brown. Cool completely, then slice into bars and serve. (It helps to refrigerate them for a few hours so they get firm before slicing.)

Recipe Notes

  • Store your turtle bars in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days.
  • They’ll keep in the fridge in airtight containers for about a week.
  • You can also freeze them in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Since they’re fairly gooey, I like to set them on a wax-paper lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, then transfer to airtight containers so they don’t become misshapen or stick together.
  • Grease your pan really well (you can also line the pan with parchment paper). Sweetened condensed milk gets really sticky and the bars can be hard to release if the pan isn’t properly greased.
  • Be sure you use sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk. They are not the same and your bars will not turn out if you use evaporated.
  • You can toast your pecans for a deeper flavor if you’d like but that’s optional.
  • To toast pecans: Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast at 375 for about 5 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Cool completely before adding to your bars.