Home » Desserts » Homemade Turtles Recipe
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This Homemade Turtles Recipe gives you the most rich and delicious candy with only 4 ingredients! Lightly toasted pecans covered in a rich caramel and topped with melted chocolate. Perfect for giving and deliciously simple to make.
Searching for more quick candy ideas? Try my Salted Caramels, Homemade Lollipops, and White Chocolate Pretzels!
Recipe Features
- 4 Ingredient Recipe: This recipe only uses FOUR ingredients and is ready in minutes.
- Perfect for Beginners: This is a no-fail recipe which means it is the perfect starting point for novice candy makers.
- Edible Gift Idea: Package these sweet treats up for an impressive homemade gift!
My granma was OBSESSED with chocolate turtles. She always had a stash stored away somewhere and would bring them out to share wenever I visited. The combination of chocolate, caramel and nuts is irrisistible. In fact, I’ve used the combination in several of my favorite desserts and cannot get enough of it!
But by far, these easy turtles are the winner. SO easy to make and quite possibly my favorite homemade candy to date. The lightly toasted nuts give a base for the chewy caramel, and the chocolate melts in your mouth. What more could you need?
Turtles Recipe Ingredients
Most of my recipes are super easy to make, use minimal ingredients, AND pack a big punch in the flavor department. These are no exception. For a full list of ingredients and measurements see the recipe card below.
- Pecans– For this recipe you will need to be sure to use lightly toasted pecans. We like to use whole or roughly chopped.
- Caramel Ice Cream Topping– You can find this next to the ice creams in most grocery stores. If you can find the ticker topping it works best, OR you can make your own caramel sauce.
- Chocolate Chips– You can use either milk chocolate or semi sweet. Our preference is milk chocolate for this specific combination of flavor.
- Shortening– Do not substitute this with butter. Shortening is used to slightly thin the chocolate chips and help coat the candies easier.
How To Make Turtle Candy
- PREP: Line a work surface with parchment paper. Lightly toast the pecans, if they haven’t been toasted already, by tossing in melted butter and baking for 7-10 minutes at 350 degrees.
- MIX: Stir the toasted and cooled pecans with the caramel topping.
- CHILL: Drop by the heaping tablespoon onto the parchment paper and refrigerate until solid, about 1 to 2 hours.
- MELT: Combine the chocolate chips and shortening in a heatproof, or glass, dish. Microwave until melted, stirring every 15 to 20 seconds to make sure it doesn’t burn.
- DRIZZLE: Spoon or drizzle over the pecan clusters. Allow to set and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- These are messy to make. Line your work space with parchment or foil for easy cleanup.
- We used a thicker ice cream topping. Make sure that you are picky when you are cruising the aisle deciding on your flavor. The thinner syrups will not work well.
- Do not skip toasting the nuts. Toasting is easy. Line a baking sheet with parchment, spread your pecans in a single layer, and bake at 350 degrees for around 7-10 minutes or until fragrant.
How To Toast Pecans
- These are messy to make. Line your work space with parchment or foil for easy cleanup.
- We used a thicker ice cream topping. Make sure that you are picky when you are cruising the aisle deciding on your flavor. The thinner syrups will not work well.
- Do not skip toasting the nuts. Toasting is easy. Line a baking sheet with parchment, spread your pecans in a single layer, and bake at 350 degrees for around 7-10 minutes or until fragrant.
More Must Try Caramel Recipes
- Salted Caramels
- Easy Caramel Cheesecake Bars
- Salted Caramel Frosting
- Best Caramel Corn
More Must Try Candy Recipes
- Muddy Buddies
- Peppermint Patties
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- White Chocolate Pretzels
- Cherry Lollipops
Still Hungry? Follow One Sweet Appetite onInstagram,Pinterest, andFacebook!
4.62 from 26 votes
Homemade Turtles
Created by: Jesseca
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Total Time 20 minutes minutes
24
This Homemade Turtles Recipe gives you the most rich and delicious candy with only 4 ingredients! Lightly toasted pecans covered in a rich caramel and topped with melted chocolate. Perfect for giving and deliciously simple to make.
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecans toasted
- ¼ cup caramel ice cream topping the thicker kind
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon shortening
Instructions
Stir together the pecans with the ice cream topping. Drop by heaping tablespoon onto wax paper. Refrigerate until solid.
Melt together the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds. Spoon over your pecan clusters.
Notes
How to toast pecans:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss pecans in a small amount of oil (we really like coconut oil) and salt if desired. Spread onto the prepared tray in an even layer.
- Toast for 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant.
Nutrition
Serving: 2Servings | Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 34mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g
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Mary E. Timman says
I made them today and they are delicious. Today I used Carmel Sauce for Ice Cream, which does not set, but they still were delicious. I am going to use apple dip for apples, that is much thicker and spoon the carmel over the nuts, then spoon the chocolate on top and I’m sure they will turn out very nicely. Thanks for recipe.
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Jesseca says
Oh, that is a great idea Mary!
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Vickie H. says
I made these using Hershey’s caramel ice cream topping, but the caramel is not hardening (it’s been 3-4 hours). What can I do? If I melt more chocolate chips and snoop it on more parchment paper, then put the chilled turtle on top, refrigerate – would that work do you think? (So, that it can be held without carmarel running.)
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Jesseca says
Hi Vickie, these will be a little softer. I would definitely try dipping and chilling. In fact, I’m going to try that tomorrow. I think it’s a great tip.
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