A pie for chocolate lovers! This caramel turtle brownie pie combines a rich fudge brownie filling with caramel and pecans, set atop an Oreo cookie crust. A small slice is delightfully decadent, especially when served a little warm and topped with whipped cream and/or a scoop of ice cream!
Have you ever made caramel turtle candies? I have a recipe for them in my book Sally’s Candy Addiction. They’re made with 3 key components: caramel, chocolate, and pecans. Today we’re taking the same flavors and serving them as a turtle brownie pie on a bed of crushed Oreo cookies. Consider it the brownie version of my caramel turtle cheesecake.
Get ready for this.
Tell Me About This Caramel Turtle Brownie Pie
- Texture: This pie is mega-rich. Each bite delivers a chewy caramel fudge brownie, studded with pecans and chocolate chips, on a crisp, buttery Oreo cookie crumb crust.
- Flavor: Chocolate. Caramel. Pecans. Oreos. Any questions?
- Ease: While there’s a few separate parts to this pie, and there’s nothing difficult about any of them. The 2-ingredient Oreo pie crust is quick and easy, and there’s no pre-baking required. The brownie batter can be made in 1 bowl and whisked by hand. Make the brown sugar caramel sauce on the stove while the pie is in the oven. It’s a less-fussy way to make homemade caramel, and—though you can use one if desired—there’s no candy thermometer needed. It’s basically the same delicious sauce we use on this pecan pie cheesecake!
The best part? Not only will you use homemade caramel sauce for topping, you’ll prick the warm pie all over with a fork and spread the caramel right on top so it gloriously seeps down into the pie. YES!
Start With an Oreo Crust
You need just 2 ingredients for this easy Oreo pie crust:
- Oreos (22 standard-size whole Oreo cookies)
- Butter (5 Tablespoons/72g, melted)
Grind the Oreos into crumbs, stir in the melted butter, and press into a 9-inch pie dish. It’s the same exact crust you use for cookies & cream pie and mocha chocolate pudding pie, but there is NO pre-baking required for this recipe. If you ever need more help making an Oreo cookie crust, see my Oreo crust recipe & shaping tips.
FAQ: Can I Use Regular Pie Crust? If you have some extra pie crust dough in your refrigerator or freezer from making a 1-crust pie recipe like pumpkin pie, pecan pie, or apple crumble pie, you can certainly use it for this caramel turtle brownie pie! You’ll need to par-bake the pie crust. Follow the par-baking steps (steps 1–5) in my regular brownie pie recipe.
Here’s Everything You Need After Making the Crust:
You can prepare the caramel sauce ahead of time or make it while the brownie pie bakes, which is what I usually do. See more about the caramel sauce below.
Make the Brownie Pie Filling
Tip: Do not make brownie batter in advance. Because butter is solid at room temperature and because cocoa powder and flour soak up liquid, this brownie batter will thicken the longer it sits. Mix it up immediately before spreading into the crust.
Here’s everything you need for the pie filling:
- Butter & Oil: Melted butter is the base of this brownie pie filling. I always love how vegetable oil keeps chocolate cake soft and moist, so I added some here.
- Granulated Sugar: Whisking granulated sugar into warm butter helps the sugar migrate to the top of the batter as the pie bakes, creating that shiny, crackly top—brownies’ signature!
- Eggs: Eggs are the main performer in this recipe by adding structure and texture. You need 3 eggs total: 2 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk. An extra egg yolk makes for a rich and chewy texture, just as it does in these chewy chocolate chip cookies.
- Vanilla Extract: Flavor enhancer #1.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: All of the chocolate flavor comes from cocoa powder, so you don’t need baking chocolate like in these frosted brownies. You can use natural or dutch-process.
- Flour: All-purpose flour adds structure.
- Salt: Flavor enhancer #2.
- Add-ins: Chopped pecans and chocolate chips add wonderful texture to the chewy brownie filling.
Make the Easy Caramel Sauce
While the brownie pie bakes, make the caramel sauce on the stove. You need butter, brown sugar (I recommend dark), heavy cream, salt, and a touch of corn syrup.
FAQ: Can I leave out the corn syrup? If you don’t want to use corn syrup, you can leave it out, but the texture of the caramel sauce may be grainy. The corn syrup serves to keep the sauce smooth and glossy. You can try using maple syrup, golden syrup, or honey in its place, but the flavor and texture may vary.
If you have some extra salted caramel leftover from making a caramel apple cheesecake pie, you can warm that up and use it instead. I wanted to try something a little different for this pie. Today’s caramel is similar to the topping used on this pecan pie cheesecake; I loved it and wanted to make use of it again! It’s very similar to the sauce from caramel monkey bread, too.
And now the best part… prick the warm brownie pie all over with a fork and spread some of the warm caramel sauce all over the top. Like a “poke cake” recipe of sorts, but with brownies and caramel:
Topping This Caramel Turtle Brownie Pie
The toppings are the pie’s main accessories.
Let the caramel-infused brownie pie cool for about 1 hour before topping and serving. It can still be slightly warm. Top with more pecans, more of the homemade caramel sauce, some melted chocolate (optional), and a pie’s best friend: whipped cream. Taste testers also loved the slightly warm pie with vanilla ice cream. If you’re going to indulge, you might as well go for the gold.
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
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Caramel Turtle Brownie Pie
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (includes slightly cooling)
- Yield: one 9-inch pie
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This undeniably indulgent caramel turtle brownie pie combines an easy Oreo cookie crust, fudge brownie filling, pecans, homemade caramel, plus optional chocolate drizzle and whipped cream. Be sure to make the brownie batter immediately before spreading into the crust.
Ingredients
Crust
- 22 regular Oreo cookies (not Double-Stuf)
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Brownie Filling
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (62g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (63g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (85g) chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup (135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Caramel Sauce
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I use dark)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 Tablespoons (23ml) light corn syrup*
Toppings
- 1 cup (125g) chopped pecans or pecan halves
- 2 ounces (56g) semi-sweet or milk chocolate, finely chopped
- optional: whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the crust: In a food processor or blender, pulse 22 Oreos (including the cream filling) into a fine crumb. You should have about 2 cups (packed) crumbs, or 250g. Pour crumbs into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick and quite wet. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact, thick crust. If the mixture seems really wet and is not forming a nice crust, grind up 2 more Oreos and mix those crumbs in. Tip: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. And run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart. For more shaping technique tips, see the Oreo cookie crust recipe page.
- Make the brownie filling: Slice the butter into Tablespoon-size pieces and melt in the microwave in a large heatproof bowl or in a small saucepan on the stove. (Transfer melted butter to a large bowl if using the stove.) Whisk the oil and granulated sugar into the melted butter. Let it sit for 3–5 minutes to slightly cool. Whisk in 2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk, and vanilla extract until combined. Add the cocoa powder, flour, and salt and whisk until combined. Batter will be thick. Fold in the chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Batter will continue to thicken the longer it sits, so immediately spoon and spread evenly into crust.
- Bake for 30 minutes, and then tent with foil and bake for another 8–10 minutes. (Err on the side of under-baking because the brownie filling will set as it cools.)
- Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce: Heat the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, salt, and corn syrup together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. With a spatula or whisk, stir occasionally until butter has melted and mixture is combined. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, stop stirring and allow to simmer/boil for 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat, and then let cool until the pie is done baking. The sauce will thicken as it cools. (If you want to be precise, the sauce is done when it reaches 215°F (102°C) when using a candy thermometer.)
- Add caramel and pecans on top: Remove pie from the oven. Let it sit for 5 minutes to slightly cool. Then, using a fork, prick holes all over the surface of the pie. Drizzle and spread about 1/4 cup warm caramel sauce over the pie. (Reserve the rest for more topping/serving.) Some of the caramel will seep into the pie through the holes. Set aside for 1 hour to slightly cool before adding toppings, or cool completely.
- Toppings: Spoon pecans on top of caramel-infused pie. If desired, pipe or spoon whipped cream on top or around the edges. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip on the pictured pie. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or use the microwave. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each until completely melted. Drizzle melted chocolate and more of the caramel sauce on top. (You will have some caramel leftover.) Slice and serve with optional vanilla ice cream.
- Cover and store leftover pie at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4–5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can prepare, cover, and refrigerate the caramel sauce up to 2 weeks in advance. The caramel thickens and sets as it cools. To make it thin enough for spreading/drizzling, reheat in the microwave until liquid again. You can make the pie 1–2 days before serving and I recommend serving it slightly warm. If making ahead, prepare through step 6, and then store covered at room temperature for 1–2 days. To reheat the whole caramel-infused pie, cover with aluminum foil and warm it in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 15 minutes. Then continue with step 7. You can also freeze the baked and cooled pie for up to 3 months, but I recommend freezing before poking holes in the top and covering in caramel sauce. Thaw in the refrigerator, and then cover with aluminum foil and warm it in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 20 minutes or until warm. Then prick holes/top with 1/4 cup caramel and continue with the recipe above.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | 9-inch Glass Pie Dish | Egg Separator | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Candy Thermometer (not required, but helpful) | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip
- Pie Crust: If preferred, you can use a graham cracker crust instead of an Oreo crust. If you’d like to use a traditional pie crust, you’ll need to par-bake it. Follow the par-baking steps (steps 1–5) in my regular brownie pie recipe.
- Can I Use Brownie Mix? Yes. For ease, you can use a prepared boxed brownie mix to fill the unbaked Oreo cookie crust. Same exact baking and topping instructions.
- Skip the Nuts: While pecans are always included in caramel turtle candies, feel free to leave them out of this pie, or substitute walnuts. If you omit the nuts, increase the amount of chocolate chips in the brownie batter to 1 cup (180g).
- Corn Syrup: You can substitute maple syrup, golden syrup, or honey for the corn syrup in the caramel sauce, but the texture may vary. You could also use this salted caramel sauce instead.
I made this through step 6 yesterday and plan to finish today for Valentine’s Day. It seems the caramel on top hardened…will heating this up soften everything? Also, I plan to top with whipped cream, but I also have to transport the pie. Suggestions for not ruining the whipped cream? I am unsure how to make this work with transporting and we won’t be eating it until after dinner. Any advice you have would be very much appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Anjie, the salted caramel will thicken and sets as it cools, but will soften if you re-warm the pie or individual slices. Do you have a cake/cookie carrier or large tupperware container, where the lid wouldn’t touch the top of the pie? We often use a cookie or cake carrier to transport our pies. Hope it’s a hit!
I do have a cake carrier that I can use. Thank you! This smelled so good when I was baking it yesterday! Can’t wait to try it!!
Can I bake this in a 8×8 baking dish instead?
Hi Katie, that should work just fine, although we’re unsure of how the bake time may vary. Let us know if you try it!
I am waiting for this decadent pie to cool down! This recipe is amazing!
Oh.My.Gosh – thank you, thank you, thank you for all the pie recipes. Can’t wait for tomorrow!
Hello! I want to try this recipe out and take it to someone’s house but I would love for it to be served nice and warm. I wanted to know is it possible to bake the crust a day ahead and then make the batter but not bake it yet. I would refrigerate it for it to be ready the next day in order to take it and bake it at another house. Would this work? If not is there anything you might suggest in order to have it be served the best way possible?!
I don’t recommend that. The batter will dramatically thicken overnight, and it won’t bake properly. Instead, I recommend baking it the day before, and then you can warm it in the oven for a few minutes before serving.
This recipe turned out great! It was a hit at our family birthday celebration. Would definitely make again.
I tried this and it was heavenly. Only problem was that the oreo crust around the sides burnt in the oven. The bottom crust tasted fine however. What could be the reason for this?
Thank you for trying this recipe! Did you tent the baking pie at all? Tenting with foil can prevent the top (including the exposed crust) from burning. If you ever try the recipe again, you can cover it after only 20 minutes. (Instead of 30.)
Does it still have the same or similar taste if it’s reheated?
Could I make this with a pre-made Oreo crust? Thank you!
Absolutely.
This recipe was deceptively easy to make despite its wow factor! The caramel sauce is worth the effort to make – it only takes a few minutes and was miles better than any store-bought caramel I’ve had. I’ll definitely make this again- but will probably wait until I have people over so I can’t eat the whole thing by myself.
This was such an amazing recipe! I absolutely loved this. My family really enjoyed it, thank you so much for sharing!!
I think this sounds amazing, and I would love to make this recipe this Thanksgiving, but I have family who is allergic to many nuts, like pecans. I was wondering if there is a nut-free alternative to the pecans. Thanks!
Hi Harper, you can simply omit the nuts. Hope it’s a hit with your family!
Thank you! I bet my family will love it!
This looks amazing. Could a store bought oreo crush be used?
Tia!
Yes, absolutely!
Do you think this could be doubled and made in a 9×13 for a big event at an office party? My husband says I “need” need to make it for his office Thanksgiving and one is definitely not enough 🙂
Absolutely! You will have plenty of pecans, caramel sauce, and whipped cream for the topping.. But I would make some adjustments to the brownie filling and crust. First, use about 30 Oreos (340g) and 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp/115g) butter. That amount will fit into the 9×13-inch pan. Second, use this brownie batter. Again, it’s enough for a 9×13-inch. Fold 1 cup each chopped pecans and chocolate chips in the batter. Bake time will be about the same, perhaps even a little shorter than this 9-inch pie.
Oh My, Thanksgiving baking list is going to have to get revised again! This looks amazing ❤️
Hi Sally! Can you please link your post on how to make a perfect Oreo cookie pie crust? Thank you!
Yes! Here is the full Oreo crust post.
This pie was the toast of our Thanksgiving table! I was a little nervous about it being too sweet but NO! Just absolute HEAVEN!