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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.
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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!!
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!!