Turtle Dream Bars

These No-Bake Turtle Dream Bars will excite your taste buds with an Oreo cookie crust, cheesecake layer, chocolate pudding, caramel, pecans, and Cool Whip! It’s one of the easiest and most delicious no-bake desserts, much like my original Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars.

If you like chocolate, caramel, and pecans, you’re going to fall in love with this super easy dessert. 

It’s based on the other Dream Bar recipes I have here on the site. These delicious desserts are also known as lush desserts or as dessert lasagna because of the layers. These dream bar desserts have seriously become a personal favorite. They are so easy to make, have lots of flavor in each bite, are a huge hit with my readers, and I absolutely LOVE coming up with new ideas for them! 

The Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars way back in 2014 was the one that started it all. The original recipe had a baked cookie crust, but I’ve adapted it and have since transformed it into a no-bake dessert as well, and people love it.
They have been so popular throughout the years that I knew I just had to create more versions. 

Why is Turtle Candy called Turtle?

Originally created in 1918 by the DeMets Candy Company, pecan pieces were covered in caramel and then encased in chocolate. The pecans resembled the head and feet of a turtle, while the chocolate covering looked like a shell.

Hence the name for these turtle cookie bars! With every bite, you’ll enjoy a taste of chocolate, some sweet caramel, and some tasty pecans. The whole family has fallen in love with this turtle dream bar dessert and I think you will, too!

Ingredients for Turtle Dream Bars

20 Oreo Cookies – with the filling inside. No need to separate the cookies!

4 tablespoons butter, melted

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 3.9-ounce package instant chocolate pudding

1 ½ cups milk

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons caramel sauce

chocolate sauce for drizzling

1 cup pecan pieces

Cool Whip or my Stabilized Whipped Cream

How to make Turtle Lasagna

First, we are going to make all the layers separately, and then we’ll go over how to assemble the dream bars.

Spray an 8 X 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper. This will make it easier to cut into even squares

Place the Oreo cookies into a blender or food processor to break them down into fine crumbs.

Mix the cookie crumbs with melted butter and press the crushed cookies into the prepared baking dish.

Place into the freezer to set for a minimum of 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the chocolate pudding mix with just 1 ½  cups of milk, not the 2 cups of milk called for on the package. We want the pudding to be a bit thicker so you can slice through it. Place into the fridge to set.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the pure vanilla extract and powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar).

With a rubber spatula, mix in one cup of the Cool Whip.

Dream Bar Assembly

Remove the crust from the freezer, place dollops of the cream cheese mixture on top of the cookie crust, and spread this cream cheese layer to all the sides.

Spread the pudding evenly on top of the cream cheese.

Drizzle the caramel sauce over the pudding, trying to completely cover because it will be difficult to spread.

Sprinkle the pecan pieces over the caramel.

Cover the dream bars with the remaining Cool Whip.

Place the turtle lasagna into the freezer to chill for a minimum of two hours before serving. The caramel sauce may be runny, but that’s ok.

Let them sit out for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Then remove the bars from the pan by lifting up the sides of the parchment. Drizzle the bars with additional caramel and chocolate sauces, and sprinkle with remaining pecan pieces either before or after slicing into small squares to serve.

How to Store Leftover Turtle Lasagna

Make sure to chill this no-bake dessert for at least 2 hours before serving it. The pudding and cheesecake layers will firm up, allowing for perfect slices.

This no-bake dessert is full of perishable ingredients, including cream cheese and milk. That means you need to cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil (or use an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid) and store it in the refrigerator when you’re not eating it. 

Keep the bars covered and chilled and they’ll stay good for up to a week!

Dream Bar Recipes

If you like bananas, you’ll love the Banana Pudding Dream Bars.

Want to feel like a kid again? Make these Circus Animal Cookie Dream Bars. They’re so colorful and fun that you might just want to stare at them instead of eat them!

Remember buying the Creamsicles off the ice cream truck as a kid? I made these Orange Creamsicle Dream Bars and they transported me to my childhood with every bite!

Mint lovers go nuts for my Chocolate Mint Dream Bars, perfect for the holiday season! You’ll get just the right amount of chocolate and mint in every bite.

Do you have a thing for Speculoos cookies or cookie butter? Well, I’ve got you covered there, too, with these Biscoff White Chocolate Dream Bars.

I’m a big strawberry fan, so I couldn’t resist making these Strawberry Cheesecake Dream Bars. They’re perfect for a bridal or baby shower or even for mom on Mother’s Day!

And, of course, I’ve got you Oreo lovers covered as well with my Oreo Pudding Dream Bars. These bars are the stuff that dreams are made of!

If you make these Turtle Dream Bars, leave a review below and let me know what you think. I think you’re going to love them as much as I do!

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