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These soft and chewy homemade chocolate turtles are the perfect dessert to whip up for a party. They have delicious clusters of homemade caramel filling and are packed with rich baked pecans. This easy candy recipe is filled with chocolatey goodness and ooey-gooey caramel in every bite.
For another delicious chocolate and caramel dessert, try our Crockpot Chocolate Caramel Cake. Our Caramel Apple Dip is another creamy treat to make for a party or night in with the family!
MORE CHOCOLATE RECIPES:
Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies | Chocolate Poke Cake with Mocha Frosting
ingredients for Chocolate Turtles
You will need:
- 3 cups whole pecan halves
- 11 ounce bag individually wrapped caramels
- 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
- 12 ounce. bag of milk chocolate chips
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of sea salt
Substitutions and Additions
Heavy Cream: You can use milk and butter as an easy substitute for heavy cream. Use 1/4 cup of melted butter with 3/4 cup of milk to make 1 cup of heavy cream.
Pecans: Walnuts are a great alternative for pecans as they are similar in texture, size, and taste. Use a 1:1 ratio for this.
Dark Chocolate Chips: You can use dark chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate if that is more to your taste. You can use a 1:1 ratio.
Toppings: Use sprinkles or another kind of candy to top your candy.
How to Make this Chocolate Turtles recipe
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP TWO: Evenly spread the pecan halves over the parchment paper and bake them for 5 minutes. Allow the pecans to completely cool after taking them out of the oven.
STEP THREE: Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with lightly sprayed parchment paper.
PRO TIP: You can use wax or silicone paper as well.
STEP FOUR: Arrange the pecans in groups of 3 to 4. Make sure to space the pecan clusters at least 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart.
STEP FIVE: Remove the plastic wrap from the individual caramels and place them in a medium-size heat-safe bowl.
STEP SIX: Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to the caramels. Heat the caramels and cream in 45-second intervals. Stir your mixture well after each interval, until the mixture is smooth.
STEP SEVEN: Once the caramel is smooth, immediately spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of caramel over the center of the pecan clusters.
STEP EIGHT: Add the milk chocolate chips into a medium-sized microwave-safe plastic or silicone bowl.
PRO TIP: Use white and dark chocolate chips to make “black and white” turtles.
STEP NINE: Heat the chocolate chips for 30 seconds and stir them well. Heat the chocolate again for 30 seconds and keep stirring. Heat for a final 15 seconds and continue to stir. If it’s needed, you can heat it again for 10 seconds but you want to have a few whole chips still in the melted chocolate. Not all of them should be melted as this might overheat the chocolate. Stir the chocolate until all the chips are melted.
PRO TIP: Tempering the chocolate in the microwave is best done in a microwavable plastic or silicone container. This is better than using glass because glass maintains the heat and if you are melting chocolate it’s better to cool the chocolate down quickly after melting it.
STEP TEN: Spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolate over the center of the caramel. Use the tip of the back of your spoon to make a little swirl onto the top of the chocolate.
STEP ELEVEN: If you want to use garnish on top of the chocolate you can use sea salt! Just sprinkle a dash of salt on top of the chocolate.
STEP TWLEVE: Allow the turtles to sit for at least 2 hours to ensure they set properly.
PRO TIP: If you are giving the turtles as gifts, place the turtles in regular cupcake liners.
PRO TIP: To get your turtles off the pan, lift the parchment paper from the pan and separate the turtles from the paper, bending the paper back. When you try to just lift the turtle flat off of the pan, you can easily break the cute little turtle feet!
storage
ON THE COUNTER: Store your candy on the counter for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
IN THE FRIDGE: You can keep your chocolate turtles in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Use an airtight container.
IN THE FREEZER: Layer your candy in an airtight container with wax or parchment paper between turtles so they don’t stick. You can freeze the candy for up to 2 months and then defrost them at room temperature before serving.
Skip the store-bought version and make these classic Chocolate Turtles at home. This quick, easy, classic chocolate turtle recipe is perfect for an after-dinner treat or gift. You can’t go wrong with pecans, caramel, and chocolate combined into one amazing treat. This dessert is simple, yet incredibly rich and delicious.
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Chocolate Turtles
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole pecan halves
- 11 oz bag caramels individually wrapped
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 12 oz bag milk chocolate chips you could also use 12 oz bag of dark chocolate chips
- 1 to 2 tbsp sea salt optional sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Evenly spread the pecan halves over the parchment paper. Bake for 5 minutes. Allow the pecan halves to completely cool.
- Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with very lightly sprayed parchment paper, wax paper or silicone baking liner.
- Arrange the pecans in groups of 3 to 4 pecan halves. Make sure to space the pecan clusters at least 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the individual caramels and place them in a medium size heat safe bowl.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to the caramels. Heat the caramel and cream 45 second intervals. Stir well after each interval, until the mixture is smooth.
- Once the caramel is smooth, immediately spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons over the center of the pecan clusters.
- Add the milk chocolate chips or the dark chocolate chips to a medium size microwaveable plastic bowl or microwaveable silicone bowl.
- Heat for 30 seconds, stir well. Heat again for 30 seconds, stir well. Then heat for 15 seconds and stir well. Final heat would be 10 seconds if needed but you want to have a few whole chips still in the melted chocolate and not all the chips to be melted, risking overheating the chocolate. After this final heating stir the chocolate until all chips are melted and continue stirring the chocolate for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of the melted chocolate over the center of the caramel. Use the tip or back of your spoon make a little swirl onto the top of the chocolate.
- If you wish to garnish the top of the chocolate with sea salt, sprinkle just a dash on top of the chocolate.
- Allow the turtles to sit for at least 2 hours to ensure they set properly.
SO FREAKIN GOOD!
The kids will sure love this cookies!
These look so good! I’m sharing this with my mom because turtle chocolates are her favorite and she makes homemade candy at Easter, this would be a great addition. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday!
I think these would be a wonderful gift for neighbors and friends at Christmas time!
If these are make a few days ahead, how should they be stored.
Thank you. Sounds yummy.
They’re delicious! You can keep them in an airtight container on the counter. Enjoy!
Hi I would love to make these for my son. He is gluten free. My problem is I have a hard time finding caramels that are gluten free. What brand of caramels did you use? Thank you for posting this recipe.
I usually use Kraft Caramels!
SO GOOD!!!! We love these!