This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This simple caramel turtle recipe has a baked pecan base smothered in chocolate and homemade caramel – a perfect treat for sharing!
A Favorite Flavor Combo
Caramel-covered turtle candy is a family favorite (our mom’s all-time favorite)! And how could it not be with chocolate, pecans and caramel all over?!
This turtle-shaped candy is often sold and made year-round but is especially popular during Thanksgiving and Christmas. We always include them on our treat plates for holiday gifting and love to add them to party plates and Charcuterie boards for family gatherings since we love them so much.
Our turtle recipe includes homemade caramel for melt-in-your-mouth perfection! If you love the flavor combo of turtles, you also need to try Turtle Thumbprint Cookies and Turtle Cheesecake.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Flavor combination. The combination of crunchy pecans, chewy caramel, and chocolate is incredible.
- Homemade. This version is better than any turtle candy we have ever purchased. Plus, they’re less expensive to make than buy.
- Simple steps. Don’t be intimidated about the candy-making process, the steps are simple and there are plenty of tips!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
REST TIME: 1 hour
- 3 cups pecan halves
- ½ cup butter – if using salted butter reduce the amount of added salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup corn syrup – light corn syrup
- dash salt
- 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk – (half of a 14-ounce can) Do not use evaporated milk.
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups chocolate chips – milk chocolate chips, or try semi-sweet, dark chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil – or shortening
- optional topping – sprinkle with flaky sea salt
Use Store-Bought Caramel
Use 25-30 soft store-bought Kraft caramels or a bag of caramel bits. Melt them in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between.
If the caramels are a bit tough, add a little spoonful of half and half to yield a smoother result.
How to Make Our Turtle recipe
- PECANS. Place 3 cups pecan halves in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes or till lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool. Arrange in clusters of 3-4 on silicone liners or parchment paper (not wax paper).
- CARAMEL. Combine ½ cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup corn syrup, and a dash of salt in a 6-quart pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk and ½ teaspoon vanilla.
- CORRECT TEMP. Continue cooking and stirring. Use a candy thermometer to ensure the caramel reaches 235-240°F.
- I use the ice water test, it’s more accurate. Drop a small spoonful of the hot caramel into a bowl of ice water. When you take it out, you should be able to roll it into a ball. Then it’s done.
- ASSEMBLE. Quickly spoon the caramel over the pecan clusters, making sure the caramel is touching each of the pecans. Let sit to harden.
- CHOCOLATE. Melt 1½ cups chocolate chips and ½ teaspoon oil in the microwave at half power, stirring often till smooth. Spoon chocolate on top of each layer of caramel (sprinkle with salt if desired). Let sit for 1-2 hours, or till hardened.
PRO TIP: High Elevation
In general, subtract 2° from the stated temperature for every 1,000 feet above sea level. For example, if you are 4,000 feet above sea level, subtract 8° from the stated recipe making it 227-232°F.
More Like This
Holiday Candy Recipes
Holiday Treats
Collections
Turtle Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups pecan halves
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup corn syrup
- dash salt
- 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk, half of a 14-ounce can
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups chocolate chips, I used milk chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil, or shortening
Instructions
- Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes or till lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool. Arrange in clusters of 3-4 on silicone liners or parchment paper.
- Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a 6-quart pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
- Continue cooking and stirring till the mixture reaches 235-240°F.
- I use the ice water test, it's more accurate. Drop a small spoonful of the hot caramel into a bowl of ice water. When you take it out, you should be able to roll it into a ball. Then it's done.
- Quickly spoon the caramel over the pecan clusters, making sure the caramel is touching each of the pecans. Let sit to harden.
- Melt the chocolate chips and oil in the microwave at half power, stirring often till smooth. Spoon chocolate on top of each layer of caramel. Let sit for 1-2 hours or till hardened.
Video
Notes
- If the caramels are a bit tough, add a little spoonful of half and half to yield a smoother result.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Store chocolate turtle candy at room temperature in an airtight container or freeze it in a freezer-safe container for 4-6 weeks. Set them out on the counter to soften before eating.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us Kara! For more amazingly delicious recipes by her, head over to Creations by Kara!!
Thank you for sharing your recipes.
These are absolutely delicious, everyone loves them! Fun and easy to make!
I love this recipe it reminds me of the ones we had growing up. This one is truly a keeper thank you for sharing it with us ❤️
I loved this recipe! I didn’t have any condensed milk, so I sent hubby to the store to get sweetened condensed milk, only he came back with evaporated milk, so I had to send them out again, but I told them they would be worth it, and they were! My grandson helped me, and we had so much fun making the “turtles“. Thanks so much. I love all your recipes! Merry Christmas Kristyn
These are the best. The perfect combination of pecans. caramel and chocolate. I love every bite of this confection and make them year round. They are perfect for any occasion.
I made these for a friend to serve a week from now — should she store them in the fridge or the freezer? FYI they are delicous!
Thank you,
VIcki
These have become a friends and family favorite! I made about 500 of them last Christmas!!! A little burned out to say the least. Absolutely delicious. My only correction would be that half of the sweetened condensed milk is not 7 ounces. Measure the whole can out and use half. You will be not be disappointed making these…also, I sprinkle with sea salt at the end when they’re done.
500? WOW!🤩
350 degrees for 10 minutes in my oven burned all the pecans! 3 cups of nuts wasted. Maybe warn people to check after 5 minutes.
I love Carmel pecan turtles.
I really love the idea for putting “3” pecans!!! These are SO creamy, soft and Yummy! Thanks for giving us this recipe. My neighbors and friends really loved them!
how many does this make approx?
About 36
Very simple recipe. Very nice treats
Love the caramel turtles. Always did,just did not know how. Now I do.They are great!
These were delicious and easy to make they are great treat to give your friend and family for the holidays
Delicious! Everyone raves about these. I like dipping them completely in chocolate and then adding a little coarse sea salt to the tops, while still warm. Thanks for the recipe!
It looks easy and delicious
I love these at the holidays or any time. I love turtles. I also love this site. You make so many yummy recipes. Thank you for everything.
These were so easy to make and the Best Chocolate Covered Turtles I’ve eaten!!! Melt in your mouth Gooood!!! TY for the recipe!
Simply delicious
What’s better than Carmel, chocolate and pecans!! Delicious treat!!
We just finished making these and they were so easy. We made some with white chocolate and decorated it to look like the face of a snowman, with black eyes and orange nose and smiley mouth.
These look delicious. Can’t wait to make some
These are a family favorite. Never can make enough. 😊😍
Super easy and yummy, you can’t go wrong with this one!
These are amazing! I make them every year for Christmas and everyone loves them.
Excellent! I will NEVER EVER buy turtles again!
These don’t look like turtles. You should pour chocolate on sheet put pecans pointing out like feet. Then caramel then chocolate over all. The shape then appears to be a turtle, hence the name. Yours are simply candy not turtles.
It’s pretty typical for the pecans to be layered on the bottom with the caramel and chocolate taking on the “shell” of the turtle on top. Thanks for the suggestion though… that would be fun to try that way as well!
I think you should make them they way you want. I’ve been eating turtles for over 50 years and I’ve never had them in the shape of a turtle. They qere perfectly fine made as instructed, and EVERYONE knew exactly what they were.
Love your site! I tried these for the first time and the caramel was still a little too soft even the next day. I used a candy thermometer and let the mixture get to about the 240ish mark. I think next time I will try a little less corn syrup. I also found that I had to wait about 10 minutes for the caramel to cool and thicken enough to spoon over the nuts. I followed Natasha’s recommendation and added a little sea salt on top. Yum!
Thanks for sharing what you did for the candy. I’m so glad you love the site! Thanks for being here. 🙂
These are the first turtle candy that I have made. I was nervous making them for the holidays without practicing first. I found this recipe was incredibly easy and they tasted amazing.
Hooray! I’m so glad that they were easy and you enjoyed them!!
These turned out, but I do not recommend using parchment paper. When I went to pull the turtles off they stuck to the paper. I can’t believe no one else commented on this. I need to invest in silicone liners or next time I will assemble them right on the baking sheet or counter. I will make again. Thank you!
You sure its was Parchment paper and not WAX? Ive made that mistake before and everything stuck lol.
This was very good and very easy! I just never know if caramel will turn out for me. This was ready quickly, didnt harden too quickly to work with. I made a second batch since I had the other half of the can of milk. I used some of that for just caramels. My guys are happy. Thank you for a keeper recipe.
i would love to order the turtles with peanut butter and carmel ones
What choclate do you use….
My favorite chocolate chips are the Guittard ones! Ghiradelli is also really yummy. But any kind of chocolate chip will work.
The first time I made these they came out perfect! 2nd time the caramel wasn’t hard enough even though I could make a ball from the water bath. I just made them again for Christmas and I’m not sure that they will be hard enough again. Can you tell me approximately how long you need to stir it once it comes to a boil? There has to be a more sure proof way of knowing. Keeping my fingers crossed now that they will harden enough to give out as gifts!
I like to use a candy thermometer to ensure it gets to the right temperature. Then I know it’s sure to set up but not be too hard. Target temp for the caramel is 235-240 degrees. So the actual amount of time stirring could depend on how quickly your stovetop heats… I hope that the caramel hardened for your gifts and that they were a hit! 🙂
Can you freeze the turtle candies.
Thank you
So easy and yummy!
Made these over the weekend 😍😍!! They were so good! We have to make more for Christmas!!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed them!
I love turtles! Gonna try these!
These turtles are so delicious. We crave them.
Ooh looks so delicious
These are a favorite every year! So good! I also add a sprinkling of sea salt on top.
I can’t wait to try these. I love all the tips.
I love homemade turtles so much!! I love how smooth the carmels melt up!
These are my husbands favorite!!
I made these today–I would say the recipe was easy to follow and they taste wonderful!
My question is that they are so gooey. So to store them I have turned them upside down–chocolate side down, pecans up. Otherwise they are sticking to the containers. What can I do to give these as gifts when they are so sticky? Shall I add a piece of parchment paper to the bases?
How do I make the caramel with cream?
This specific caramel calls for sweetened condensed milk. We do have a yummy caramel candy recipe that uses cream right here: https://lilluna.com/caramel-candy/
These are perfect for the holidays! And delicious
My favorite
I love the variations on this recipe! I adore turtle candy! I can’t wait to try this recipe with pretzels! Yum!
It’s really yummy with the pretzels too. Hope you enjoy!!
This looks so good.
These look delicious can’t wait to make them. Thanks for the recipe.
So easy and delicious!
These were delicious, easy to make and just as good as store bought turtles!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Can’t wait to make these. Looks so delicious but Easy.
I am going to try these for Christmas
Yum!! These are my husband’s favorite!!
Love love love this! So delicious!
Looks delicious and great for the holidays
I want to make these as Christmas gifts. How long will they keep? They will have to go through the mail.
Oh what a great idea for a gift! They should keep for a little while. Depending on how far you are sending them off to, they should be ok!
Love the combination of these ingredients. So good!
OMG!!! My mouth is watering and I haven’t even tried these. I ALREADY know these are going to be a show stopper! Thank you for all of your yummy recipes!!!
Made these! Everyone loved them!!
These are my favorite holiday treats!
Very tasty and easy. Carmel is sticky but soft and easy to eat
Way too long for the pecans. They burned within 4 minutes. Caramel was at the right temp and balled in ice but still turned out too sticky/didn’t form enough to pick up without becoming a mess (tasty though).
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
I used the caramel recipe for chocolate covered caramel.
Sounds so heavenly! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
These turtles are fantastic! Every Christmas I make turtles for a friend who loves them. She said these were the best she had ever eaten! So did two of my other recipients!! I agree! After reading a couple of reviews regarding the caramel not setting up enough I cooked mine to 240-245 degrees. That was perfect. I also weighed the sweetened condensed milk to be sure I was actually using the required 7 ounces. Thank you so much for this recipe! It will be the only one I use from now on!
You are so welcome! Glad it was a hit & thank you for letting me know!
Absolutely the best recipe ever! I have tried many and almost gave up. Decided I’ll try one more time. This turned out marvelously! My hubby is so happy perfect taste and consistency. Thanks so much!
I am glad you didn’t give up! Thank you for letting me know!
How far in advance can I make these without freezing them?
I think a few days would still be ok 🙂 But, that’s me..the fresher the better!
This is an excellent recipe and relatively easy to make. Had a small Christmas dinner and everyone raved about them! I am now making two batches and with that said, I discovered that the contents of a 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk is actually 10 oz. of the milk! So if you’re following this recipe as is, it’s actually 5 oz. of SCM. I also added a just a little sea salt to the top of one group. So yummy!
I am so glad you tried them 🙂 Happy they were a hit! Thank you!
Can I make ahead and freeze for a week
I personally have not put them in the freezer, but they should be fine. Just make sure you thaw them ahead of time, so the caramel can get soft 🙂
Loved this caramel!! So good and so easy! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s definitely a keeper for holiday baking!
Awe, thank you so much!! I am glad to share 🙂
BEST RECIPE!! I have friends and family repeatedly asking me to make these again and again. I always add a pinch of coarse sea salt on top. Super easy and well written recipe!! Thx
You are welcome! I love to hear that! Thank you!
Delicious thank you
You are welcome! I am so happy you think so 🙂
Confused about the nutrition. What is considered a serving?
Dude, nutrition? Really? Pretty sure you can figure out that any “nutrition “ comes from the one pecan. Everything else is pure sugar! If you’re worried about that you probably shouldn’t eat it!
Best recipe ever! The caramel and chocolate consistency were absolutely perfect!
Yay, I am so glad you think so 🙂 Thank you for sharing that!
Love this I made it for my bunco crew and they said it was the best turtles they ever ate I did not have corn syrup so I substituted with honey and maple syrup so good!🥰🍯
Great option!! Glad they loved them! Thank you so much!!
Do you remember the measurements for the honey and maple syrup?
How many pieces when you break it down to calories?
Good day!
Could you please let me know if the nutritional value is accurate for the turtle recipe?
Thanks so much!
I love these suggestions. And can’t wait to make the pecan turtles. I love new receipts. And try an try them all the time
I hope you like them!! Let me know what you think 🙂
Delicious! Easy to make and the caramel is soft and delicious. I recommend letting the caramel sit a bit before topping the pecans, or it is a bit too thin. Great recipe.
Thank you for sharing that!! Happy to hear you like them!
6200 calories in a setving!? Must be for all 36 turtles!
Thank you for sharing this recipe
I’ve always wanted to know how to make these candy.one of my favorite. Merry Christmas and have a happy new year.!
You are welcome!! I hope you like it! Happy Holidays!
6200 calories per serving??? Wow!
I’m excited to try these turtles – it’s one of our favorite holiday treats!
Not that I’m sure they will last more than a few days, but how long would the turtles keep? Counter top or fridge. I am getting my holiday baking done early 😊
I am excited for you to try them! I would keep them on the counter, covered for up to a week or two.
Hi, I made these yesterday and they turned out great! My only problem is that the caramel never really set… I was hoping to hand them out in little cellophane gift bags, but they would all stick together. Is there anything I can do to make the caramel harden? Thanks
They should eventually harden. It can take awhile. You can always try sticking in the fridge to help it faster. Hope that helps 🙂
any idea why my chocolate has white swirlS or little white SpeCkles? The flavor is there and they taste great but the cHOcolate looks like its old once it sETs. I am using neStle tollhouse milK chocolate. Please help! Thanks.
I could just be ingredients that haven’t melted all the way or maybe chips that were a little old. It happens to me sometimes too.
Think I finally found the turtle recipe that I made years ago ty
Woohoo!! Glad to hear that! Thank you!
These turtles taste better than nestle turtles and they are so easy. My son and I doubled the recipe and substituted soy milk. we made three cookie sheets of turtles. they taste so good even without addition of chocolate. these are to die for!
Awe, that makes me so happy! Thank you so much for letting me know that!
Easy to make! First time making caramel and it turned out great! my caramel was too hot the first minute or so and it really ran everywhere. so I went back after it had cooled down and thickened up and put more caremel on top of the pecans. Worked great! the only problem I had was with the chocolate. after 4 hours the chocolate still hadn’t set. I’ve put them in the fridge and hope that works. Any suggestions? i want to be able to layer them in my container and definitely can’t.
I am glad you tried these! It does take a while for the chocolate to set. Did the fridge help? I was going to say, I like sticking them in there to set faster! I hope they did.
The recipe calls for 1/2 tsp shortening or vegetable oil, but does not say how to use it. Can you explain, please. Thanks.
It is in step 5 🙂 You mix it with the chocolate chips.
Can coconut oil be used in place of veg oil or shortening?
Yup! I made mine with coconut oil and they are PERFECT!!! I LOVE this recipe! Thank you!!
Each year i would go to a local candy store to buy turtles for my wife. The store was closed this year and i found this recipe. my wife and i made these and thoroughly enjoyed the turtles. absolutely delicious carmel recipe. thank you!
Yay..I am so glad you found this recipe!
Thanks for the recipe. flavor is excellent but my caramel was too hard. I think high altitude might cause this to cook differently. was very glad i used the ice water test but should have finished cooking at a fairly soft ball stage. made a 9 degree adjustment for my 4500 ft elev, but the candy was already at hard ball stage at under 215 degrees. (i tested my candy thermometer ahead of time to make sure it was accurate.) the candy didn’t boil up the sides of the pot, either, so maybe elevation affects that as well. I’d try the recipe again using a smaller pot and reduce the cooking time/temperature, cooking to soft ball stage only.
I am sorry. I wish I was an expert in high altitude cooking/baking. I am glad you liked the flavor, though 🙂
So excited to be able to make My own All time faVourite chocolaTes!!
It’s dangerous! I want to make them too often! Thank you!
Super easy and delIcious!
These were just perfect!! They are the right amount of soft & chewy & crunchy! No more buying them!
I have to be careful when I make these, because I could literally eat them all myself. These are my absolute favorite homemade candy!
I love the combination of pecans, caramel and chocolate! Definetly giving these a try.
Soft & chewy, these are amazing!! They are way too addicting! Love homemade over store bought!
hello, I would like to know does the caramel come out soft or hard? I would like to try the recipe but I would rather a soft caramel.. thank you
They are definitely more soft, than hard 🙂 Hope you give them a try!
Yum
They are so yum!! Hope you try them!
I just made these twice for my husband for valentines day. The first time the caramel ran all over the place so they all stuck together, I am going to call them alligators Lol. But being me I refuse to be out done, the second time I was for sure they were perfect but as they set they were so hard that one actually shattered into pieces that I accidentally drop on the countertop. Help me. This is his favorite candy and I would love to perfect it. I broke the first ones apart and put chocolate on them. He just walked in. Hope he likes them
Oh, no!! I am not sure what happened. They shouldn’t be too hard or too soft. Any changes to the recipe?
Can these be made with dark corn syrup?
I have not tried, but I am sure they could.
Just fyi, they turned out great with the dark corn SYRUP. The color was slightly darker but the taste and texture was spot on! I took them to a small new years eve party.. all 3 dozen were gone long before midnight. I had a little extra caramel so I put it in a dish, let it set up, cut it into squares and dipped it in chocolate for the people who were not a fan of nuts. They held there shape like a dream. These will be a new holiday tradition at my house. Thanks!
Thank you so much for letting me know! I am so glad!
I made 200, hundred of these for Christmas put them in Christmas containers every one love them thank you for sharing this with me !!!!!!
You are so welcome!! That’s a lot!! Thank you for trying them 🙂
Haaa how creative you are with these little cuties! they looks extremly sweet ?
– Natalie
Thanks, going to make right now. Can’ wait .
Hope you liked them!!
These Are so deLicious! I had a hard time eveN sharing theM!!
LOL..they are hard to share! Glad you liked them!
Mine are currently setting up and look amazing. I don’t have a candy thermometer and I’ve never been good at the ice water method, so I made an educated guess and took the caramel off The STove when I thought it should be done. Its setting up so I think I guessed right.
This recipe made a lot! I got just over 4 dozen. I also did some with PECANs and some with cashews instead of pecans.
I lightly sprinkled coarse salt on top of the chocolate for salted caramel chocolate clusters.
THANK you for The Recipe!
Sounds perfect!! Thank you for sharing all of that!
Turtles are my favorite! So glad u Found this recipe!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am glad you found it 😉 I love turtles too!
These are DELICIOUSly simple! Fun and creative! My kids love to help make thede
They are a great recipe for kids to help! I am glad you all liked them!
I have made these twice and both times the caramel has been rather soft. When you pick them up it starts slowly drooping down. I put them in a container in the fridge and as long as they were cold you get them out fairly easily. But as soon as they started getting to room temp, they stuck to each other and you had fight to get them out and the pecans broke. Any suggestions? They taste good but want to make these to put in christmas boxes for friends.
Mine get a little soft, but not too soft. I wish I knew how to make them a little harder. I haven’t honestly had an issue with them drooping.
Drooping is the same as being soft. the caramel bends down a little bit.
The homemade caramel never set, it was still soft. So I boiled the left over Caramel again to 240-250 deg, and I’ll see what happens… The Caramel is delicious. I put the ones I made in frig, and i will ‘ make Chocolate and hopefully they will be perfect.
Just cook the caramel a little bit longer, it will stiffen the caramel.😊
no where did i see where you ad the carmel….or did i miss something
about how many turtles will a recipe make?
I would like to KNow too. I have a big event and need to make a shop list. Please reply asap
It will make close to 2 dozen 🙂
I made a single batch. Turned out great. would the recipe be the same for a double batch?
Should be 🙂 Glad you liked them!!
I have never made any candy befor but this is something I think I can do . Looking forward to more of your recipes .
This is super easy! That’s why I love it! I hope you do try it & love it!
I made these tonight to bring to out of state friends of ours this weekend as a thank you for hosting us! They look (and taste lol) absolutely amazing! They are also my moms favorite candy whose 88th birthday is next week! I feel another batch coming soon!! Thank you for the incredible recipe (I must say I was tempted to cheat and buy Kraft caramels but I wanted them perfect!)
You are so welcome!! Thank you for letting me know!! You’ll have to make some for your mom 🙂
I’m actually making this tonight… God help me, lol. But these just look tooo damn good!!!
The recipe for turtles never adds the Carmel to the corn syrup, brown sugar, etc…….
What ? ? ? ? ? ?
So I added Carmel chips anyway with the rest of the ingredients and it is almost to soft and so so so sugary you almost collapse from sugar. They are horrible unless i just can’t cook. But seeing how you screwed the recipe…….. and wasted my money. Send me a reimbursement of $30 please ! ! !
The recipe makes homemade caramel. I never add caramels. I’m sorry it did not turn out for you.
Your recipe didn’t tell her to add caramels pieces that’s what the sweeten condensed milk is for don’t be rude to lil Luna like you quoted u can’t cook don’t blame it on lil Luna.
why would you add caramel chips to a homemade caramel recipe?? lol
hi just going over this could you please let me know when you add the vanilla Thanks
Sorry, I noticed I left it out! I added it:) You’ll add it with the sweetened condensed milk 🙂
I might just be missing it but I don’t see where the 1/2 tsp vanilla is used in the recipe? Is it added into the caramel mixture before the sweetened condensed milk? These look amazing and much easier than I expected!
My MIL and aunt-in-law make turtles and other amazing chocolate treats every Christmastime and I thought it was a big secret and complicated recipe! WHAT. Now that I’m far from home state, I’ll have to make some up myself. 🙂
Yay..glad you don’t have to wait!! Thanks so much!!
I melt chocolate pieces & put small rounds on paper, then I add pecans, then caramel sauce then another dollup of chocolate & put in freezer about 20 minutes. I get chocolate melts at craft store. This way there is a chocolate base for pecans & caramel sauce.