Turtle Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter and flour a 9-inch-square baking pan, shaking out excess flour.

For brownie layer:

1. In a heavy 1 1/2-quart saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove pan from heat. Cool mixture to lukewarm, and stir in brown sugar and vanilla.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon until mixture is glossy and smooth.
3. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt, and add to chocolate mixture, beating just until batter is combined well.
4. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake in middle of oven 30-35 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool brownie layer completely in pan on rack.

For caramel-pecan layer:

1. In a heavy 3-quart saucepan, bring sugar, corn syrup, water and a pinch of salt to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil mixture, without stirring, until it turns a golden caramel color.
2. Remove pan from heat and carefully add cream and vanilla – mixture will bubble up and steam. Stir in pecans and quickly pour mixture over brownie layer, spreading evenly.
3. Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack.

For garnish:

1. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring, until smooth and remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat. (Chocolate can also be melted in a microwave.)
2. Transfer chocolate to a small sealable plastic bag. Squeeze chocolate into one corner of bag and, with a sharp knife or scissors, cut a tiny slice off corner to form a small hole.
3. Squeeze chocolate decoratively over brownies.
4. Chill brownies, loosely covered, until caramel is firm (at least four hours). Cut chilled brownies into 16 squares and remove from pan while still cold. Let brownies come to room temperature before eating.