Turtle Candy Recipe

Turtle candy is a delicious confection that can be made at home with only a few ingredients. The familiar combination of caramel, chocolate, and pecans has been around for generations – but what makes it so special? It’s the unique process that goes into making each piece!

This is inspired candy and has all the flavors of turtle candy with more pecans. No, they do not look like turtles, but they taste better than them!

Making turtle candy is a little involved and does require some patience. You will need to wait for each layer to set before adding another one to the top. Trust me though,

Homemade Turtle Candy Recipe

Plus, you’ll have plenty of delectable treats to share because this recipe makes 34 large, irresistible turtle candies. As a result, it’s a perfect recipe to make for a party dessert!

Before reading any further – If you don’t have a candy thermometer, I highly recommend that you purchase one before making this recipe. It can be found at any kitchen store or at Walmart for under $10.00. It’s definitely worth owning in case you want to make more candy recipes in the future.

Turtle candy consists of caramel, chocolate, and pecans wrapped in a soft caramel-like exterior. The contrast between the crunchy nuts and smooth chocolate with the chewy caramel makes for an interesting texture that everyone will love!

Caramel Pecan Turtles Candy Recipe Creations By Kara

Many people love turtles and many people love candy, but few know that you can make your own turtle candies at home with just a few ingredients. The process of making this confection is fun and relatively easy, so try it out! Here’s a summary of how to make your own turtle candies at home:

Toast the Pecans – Add halved raw pecans on a large baking sheet. Bake them for 10 minutes in a 350 degree heated oven. Toasting the pecans adds a deep, rich flavor that makes these candies taste so delicious. Once toasted, remove the pecans from the sheet and coat the pan with parchment paper.

Cook the Caramel – In a 5-quart stockpot, add the light brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add in the salt, vanilla, and sweetened, condensed milk. Continue cooking and stirring the mixture until the candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees F. Once at temperature, remove caramel from the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to thicken. This will allow for an easier to spoon caramel.

Turtle Candy Recipe

Top Pecans – Once the caramel has cooled a bit, spoon 3/4 of a tablespoon over each bunch of pecans. Place the baking sheet in the fridge to harden the caramel for 15 minutes before adding the chocolate.

Melt the Chocolate – In a microwave-safe glass bowl, add the milk chocolate chips and vegetable shortening. Heat morsels in 30-second intervals stirring in-between each.

Do not get the chocolate wet or overcook or it will harden and seize. Even on drop of water can cause destruction.

Homemade Chocolate Turtles Candy

Once creamy, remove the caramel topped pecans from the fridge, and spoon about a tablespoon of chocolate over each caramel nut cluster.

Chill – Once all are topped, return the candy to the fridge to allow for the chocolate to harden. Enjoy once the chocolate is firm.

The caramel must be made with patience and attentiveness. You do need a candy thermometer because too low of a temp will result in runny caramel and too high will make caramel that cannot be bitten into (like glass). The change over happens fast so have everything ready to go.

How To Make Caramel Pecan Turtles

Allowing the caramel to sit over the pecans for 5 minutes helps it to settle a bit as the chocolate topping is prepared.

Do not get the chocolate wet. Make sure the stirring spoon, and bowl are completely dried before using them. The use of shortening help to make these creamy. Microwave on 50% less power and stir in-between each.

Always use quality parchment or wax paper for the setting process. Cheap dollar store varieties are not as nonstick as they claim!

Easy Turtles Candy Recipe

The best way to store turtle candies is in the refrigerator because the homemade caramel can become sticky. I recommend cutting small squares of parchment paper and adding each turtle to one piece.

Another way you could store them is to place a piece of parchment or wax paper in-between layers of the candies to prevent each layer from sticking to each other.

Turtle candy is a delicious confection that can be made at home with only a few ingredients. The familiar combination of caramel, chocolate, and pecans has been around for generations – but what makes it so special? It's the unique process that goes into making each piece!

Turtle Candy Recipe (quick And Easy)

Serving: 1 turtle | Calories: 182 cal | Carbohydrates: 19 g | Protein: 2 g | Fat: 12 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 9 mg | Sodium: 14 mg | Potassium: 89 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 18 g | Vitamin A: 104 IU | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 31 mg | Iron: 1 mg

Hi! I am Amy! I am a former teacher, fueled by coffee, and cheese. I love photography and always have a camera handy! I might be a little obsessed with cute photography props, and Rae Dunn, but all is good! Welcome to my site! I hope you find an easy to make recipe, or product you might also love!

The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.

Chocolate Turtles (only 4 Ingredients!)

The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.

The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.

The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.Homemade Turtles candy with a crunchy pecan base, fresh buttery caramel, and topped with melted chocolate, these candies are a must make this holiday season! And our recipe shows you just how easy they are with 3 ingredients!

Chocolate Pecan Turtle Clusters

Going to any fancy fudge or candy shop, turtle candy is one of my first choices to grab out of the case.

PRO TIP: If you’re going to scale up this recipe, consider buying your chocolate in bulk. Stores like Trader Joe’s, Costco, or baking supply stores sell large bags and bars of chocolate for a fraction of the price. Just chop up the bar and melt it like chocolate chips. Easy Instructions

Arrange Pecan Halves – Take 4 pecan halves and arrange them like an “X” on a parchment-lined sheet tray. This is where the signature look of the turtle comes from. Space the “X” formations about 2 inches apart so they don’t connect when covered with caramel and chocolate.

The Best Chocolate Pecan Caramel Turtles Recipe

Add Caramel – Melt the caramel in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, making sure to stir and scrape down the sides of the bowl after each interval. Once the caramel is melted, dollop a tablespoon onto the middle of each turtle, connecting the pecans.

Coat With Chocolate – Next, melt your chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl the same way you did with the caramel. Then, top the caramel with a tablespoon of melted chocolate to finish off the turtle’s shell. Allow the candies to set for several hours (if you can wait that long) before transferring them to an airtight container.

At room temperature, homemade turtles will last a week in an airtight container. Avoid storing them in the fridge or freezer, so they don’t become discolored.

Chocolate Turtle Candy

Traditionally, turtles are made with pecans and caramel coated in chocolate. If you’re looking for a nut-free alternative, use bits of pretzel rods to stand in for the pecans.

These popular candies get their name from their final shape. Once you pile caramel and chocolate onto pecans laid out in a star formation, you end up with a candy that resembles a turtle and its shell!

Although made of the same ingredients, chocolate turtles are a layered candy, whereas millionaire candy is made by combining pecans with caramel and then coating the sticky, chewy mixture with chocolate.

Easy Pretzel Turtles Candy Recipe

Homemade Turtles with a crunchy pecan base, fresh buttery caramel, and topped with melted chocolate, these candies are a must make this holiday season! And our recipe shows you just how easy they are with 3 ingredients!

Serving: 1 candy , Calories: 108 kcal , Carbohydrates: 4 g , Protein: 1 g , Fat: 10 g , Saturated Fat: 1 g , Polyunsaturated Fat: 9 g , Sodium: 1 mg , Fiber: 1 g ,