A couple weeks ago I made these delicious Turtle Cheesecake Brownie Bars as a contributor post for my friend, Shannah. I posted them on her blog, Just Us Four, and they were a big hit. Now that it’s been a while since I shared them over there, I wanted to share them with all of my readers! This dessert is super easy to make, and SO tasty! Everyone loves them!
If you are in a time crunch, you can even used boxed brownies for the base brownie layer, although I think they are best homemade. I am sure no one would notice the difference though, because the top is so decadent and delicious.
- Ingredients for Brownie Layer
- 1 cup butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- Ingredients for Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz cream cheese softened (2 packs)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- Ingredients for Toppings
- ½ cup caramel sauce
- ⅓ cup milk chocolate chips
- ¾ cup pecans chopped roughly
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*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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1. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer combine melted butter with sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Add the cocoa and mix well. Then add the flour, baking powder and salt, walnuts, and mix until just combined, do not over mix.
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Set aside one cup of the brownie batter and smooth the rest into a foil lined 7×11 baking dish.
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Now for our next layer...
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2. With your stand mixer or hand mixer (cleaned off), begin making your cheesecake layer by beating cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
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3. Add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
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4. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie mixture. Using a spatula, smooth it evenly over the brownie batter.
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5. Drizzle ¼ cup of caramel sauce over the top of the cream cheese layer. Then, using the reserved cup of brownie batter, drop spoonfuls over the top of the cheesecake/caramel. Use your spatula or a butter knife to gently swirl the batters. This will combine the cream cheese layer and top brownies layer a bit. This does not need to be perfect.
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6. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. Start checking at 45 minutes and look for the cheesecake to be just set.
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7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then using the sides of the foil, pull the brownies up and out of the dish. Set on a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 1 hour, and then place into the fridge for at least 2 hours.
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8. Remove from fridge, and drizzle 2 TBS caramel sauce over the top of the brownies. Then sprinkle the chopped pecans over the caramel, covering the top.
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9. Place chocolate chips in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir with a spoon or fork, then continue to microwave in 15 second increments, stirring every 15 seconds, until the chocolate is melted. This shouldn't take more than 90 seconds at the most (probably more like 60 seconds).
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10. Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the nuts. Drizzle remaining caramel sauce over the nuts as well.
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11. Cut into squares and serve!
Be sure to refrigerate the brownies when you are done serving.
I like these best served cold so I allow them to cool for an hour on the counter, and then refrigerate another hour before serving. It's up to you!
Do you like cheesecake bars as much as I do? If so, check out all these other recipes…
Milky Way Caramel Cheesecake Brownies
TWIX Cheesecake Bars with Chocolate and Caramel Drizzle
Thanks for visiting!
– Allyson
Debbie says
Oh my gosh, I just drooled over my keyboard. These look fabulous! Thanks for sharing.
Elizabeth Hemmig says
Five stars for the Turtle Cheesecake Brownie bars. What a hit at my family Christmas this year. I am always responsible for baking/bringing the dessert. I thought about baking a turtle cheesecake to add to a variety of delicious cookies this year, I’m always looking to up the bar and I sure did baking this recipe. If you love compliments I would absolutely recommend baking these over the top in delicious bars. Pretty easy to make but so much easier to eat then traditional cheesecake with a huge bonus of a homemade brownie.
Allyson says
I am so happy your family loved them as much as we do! Happy holidays!