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Do you love the combination of dark chocolate, chewy caramel, and toasted pecans? It's such a yummy flavor combination! If you're craving a bite of nutty, chocolatey goodness, no worries--you can make up a batch of these easy chocolate turtles to save the day.
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- Ingredients
- How to Make
- Recipe FAQs
- Serve
- Store
- Expert Tips
- Other Candy Recipes
- Recipe
- Comments
Ingredients
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients: chocolate chips, soft caramels, pecans, water, and a little salt.
- Toast the pecans at 350 F for 10-12 minutes, until the nuts have darkened slightly and have a nutty aroma.
- Line two 9x13-inch cookie sheets with parchment paper and trace sixteen 3-inch circles on the paper. Use a cookie cutter or glass as a template.
3. Chop the pecans into smaller pieces and arrange in piles on top of the circles. Place a cookie cutter over each pile and swirl it gently to make the edges nice and smooth.
4. Dump the caramels into a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the caramels have melted completely. If the caramel is extremely thick, add a tablespoon or two of water.
5. Pour the caramel over the nuts, leaving a border of nuts around the edge.
6. Pour the chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring frequently until the chocolate has melted. Let it cool for a couple of minutes, then pour it into a plastic sandwich bag and snip off the tip to create a piping bag. Pipe circles of chocolate on top of each turtle, leaving a border of caramel around the edge.
7. Chill the turtles for 10 minutes, then make a decorative swirl on top with an angled spatula. If desired, sprinkle a little flaky salt on top.
8. Chill for another 20 minutes, or until hardened. Serve at room temperature for ease of eating.
Recipe FAQs
What are chocolate turtles?
They are a cluster of pecans and caramel covered with chocolate.
What are turtles made of?
Turtles are made up of three basic ingredients: chocolate, caramel, and pecans. Many home bakers like to add a sprinkle of salt on top for extra flavor.
Why is it called turtle candy?
The candy gets its name from its shape: it looks somewhat like a turtle. A salesman noticed the resemblance, and the candy was soon marketed as "turtles."
Who invented turtles candy?
Johnson's Candy Company invented the candy in 1918, and it has been sold ever since.
Serve
If you're looking for other candy recipes, you'll want to try our recipes for chocolate peanut butter fudge, 3 ingredient peanut butter fudge, and chocolate teacakes.
Store
Leftovers: Store them between layers of parchment or wax paper in an airtight container or cookie tin. If it's really hot and humid, store in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Freeze them in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag. Separate layers of turtles with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, then freeze for 2-3 months. Remove from the packaging before defrosting to prevent excess condensation.
Expert Tips
- Speed up the process by using already chopped pecans. Take note that chopped pecans will toast quicker than the halves.
- Remember to unwrap the caramels before you melt them!
- If the caramel begins to harden while you're working with it, place it back on medium heat and stir for a minute to melt.
- Please note that the melted Kraft caramels can be extremely chewy. If you have braces, orthodontic appliances, bridges etc., I'd recommend making a less chewy homemade caramel instead of using the Kraft.
- Feel free to use milk, semi-sweet, or white chocolate instead of dark.
- Save any extra toasted pecans left on the cookie sheet for putting on ice cream.
Other Candy Recipes
- Candied Grapefruit Peels
- Candied Lemon Slices
- Candied Ginger Recipe
- 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge
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Recipe
Easy Chocolate Turtles Recipe
Easy chocolate turtles are delicious morsels of dark chocolate, chewy caramel, and toasted pecans. They would make a sweet gift for friends at Christmas or Valentines Day. Learn how to make these fun no bake treats in just a few steps!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Favorite Rate
Course: Candy
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 16 turtles
Calories: 459kcal
Author:
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped pecans
- 18 ounces soft caramels, such as Kraft
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups 60% cacao chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt or margarita salt, optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans on a small cookie sheet and toast at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, checking them frequently to make sure they aren't burning. Let the pecans cool briefly. (If you're using pecan halves, chop them into smaller pieces.)
While the nuts are toasting, pour the caramels, milk, and butter into a saucepan and set over medium to medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the caramels are melted and smooth. Add additional milk if the caramel is excessively thick.
While the caramel is melting, fill a saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Line two 9x13-inch cookie sheets with parchment paper and trace sixteen 3-inch circles on the paper.
Arrange the chopped pecans in piles inside the circles. Place a cookie cutter over each pile and swirl it gently to push in stray nuts and make the edges nice and smooth. Spoon the melted caramel on top of the pecans, leaving a border of nuts around the edge.
Pour the chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl and set over the saucepan of gently simmering water. Be careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the hot water, and keep the steam away from the chocolate. Stir occasionally until it is fully melted.
Let it cool for a few minutes, then pour into a sandwich bag and snip off the tip to create a little piping bag. Pipe a circle of chocolate on top of each turtle, leaving a border of caramel around the edge.
Chill the turtles for 10 minutes, then use an angled spatula or butter knife to create a decorative swirl on top of each turtle. Sprinkle with flaky salt if desired; then chill for another 20 minutes, or until quite firm. Serve at room temperature to make them easier to eat.
Notes
- Chopped pecans will toast faster than whole ones. Watch them carefully as they toast.
- Unwrap the caramels before you melt them.
- Caramel hardening too soon? Place it back on medium heat and stir until melted.
- Make your own caramel if you prefer. Homemade caramel is easier to chew if you have braces.
- Use milk, semi-sweet, or white chocolate instead of dark if you prefer.
Nutrition
Calories: 459kcal (23%)Carbohydrates: 41g (14%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 32g (49%)Saturated Fat: 11g (69%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mg (4%)Sodium: 104mg (5%)Potassium: 329mg (9%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 30g (33%)Vitamin A: 126IU (3%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 137mg (14%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Betty
We made the choco turtles yesterday. It was a family enterprise. We had a lot of fun. It was easy to follow the great pictures. The best part was to eat the cookies at the end. I , Grandma of nine, and my sub chefs got a standing ovation. Thank you Emma for such a successful recipe. I put a commentary yesterday but it didnt show up. If it finally does, sorry for the duplication.
Reply
Emma
No worries, Betty! Each comment left on our site has to be manually approved before it shows up on the website--that's why your comment didn't appear right away. Thanks so much for your kind words!
Reply
Libby
This is a delicious, fun, simple recipe and it turned out wonderfully for me. The combination of the chewy baked pecans and the melted caramel and chocolate is so good! Your children will love these easy and delicious treats!Reply
Emma
What a blessing! 🙂 Thank you for trying this recipe!
Reply
Betty
We made the choco turtles today. It was a family enterprise , many of us cooked together. It was a great success. Your instructions are so easy to follow and we love the pictures of each step. No ambiguities this way. The best part was to eat them Thank you so much from a grandma of 9Reply
Emma
Thank you so much, Betty! I'm so glad that you and your grandchildren enjoyed making and eating the turtles! Our family loves the chocolate, pecan, and caramel combination, too. 🙂
Reply
Betty
I find your giving the measurements in your recipes in grams too, very useful. I weight everything when I prepare baking goods. In that way I am sure that my recipes come top notch. Thank you. I will prepare this recipe soon
Reply
Emma
Thank you, Betty! I'm glad you found the metric measurements to be helpful. 🙂 Please leave a review of the turtles once you've made them!
Reply
