Homemade Turtle Candy . . . these decadent little clusters beat any caramel turtles you can buy at the store!
Turtles have always been one of my favorite candies. The crunchy pecans, the chewy caramel, the melt in your mouth chocolate. Simply incredible. I don’t know why I never thought to make a homemade version before now.
Guys, this homemade turtle candy is amazing. Way better than any store bought turtles I’ve ever tried!
Don’t be intimidated about the candy making process, these turtles are really quite simple to make. You start by toasting your pecans. Toasting makes a huge difference in the flavor of the finished product, so don’t skip this step. Just place your pecans on a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for about 10 minutes. They will smell amazing!
Arrange the pecans in clusters of 3-4 on baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats. If you don’t have them, you can use waxed or parchment paper sprayed with non-stick spray.
As soon as your caramel is ready, immediately spoon the hot caramel on top of the clusters, making sure each pecan is covered with some caramel. Don’t worry about perfection, just work fast. If the caramel starts to set up, you can pop it back on the stove for a minute or two.
You can wait for the caramel to set up, or just add the chocolate now. Just melt the chocolate and oil in a small glass bowl in the microwave at half power, stirring often. Then spoon a small amount of chocolate on top of each turtle. Use the back of your spoon to make a little swirl in the chocolate as you lift it.
The hardest part is waiting for the chocolate to set up. Be patient, it can take awhile. Mine weren’t totally set up for a couple of hours. Of course, you don’t have to wait that long to eat one! 🙂
You can tell they are set up when the chocolate loses its shiny luster.
Now you can go ahead and dive right in. Mmmmm.
Turtle Candy:
- 3 cups whole pecans
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- Dash of salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk (half of a 14oz can)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)
- 1/2 tsp vegetable oil or shortening
- Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° 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 mixture reaches 235-240 degrees. I like to 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 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.
-Recipe inspired by Jamie Cooks It Up!
For more treats perfect for the holidays, check these out:
Chocolate Chip Pecan Caramels
Caramel Chocolate Truffles
Easy Oreo Mint Chocolate Candies
ENJOY!!
Hi Kara,
I made these yummy delights for the holidays last year and was really pleased. Planning to make some more this weekend. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!
You are so welcome Sharon! It always makes me happy to know that people are actually trying my recipes. 🙂
Unless you just picked your pecans up from your front yard, like I do, I would not leave store bought pecans in for 10 minutes. They are too dry and will burn. Keep an eye on them at 5 minutes. Great recipe
Hi Kara, we really enjoy your turtle recipe. Its delicious 😋.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I tried these last night and they are wonderful!
So glad to hear that you loved them!
My Carmel never set up like in the pic..Seems a little thinner so it kind of ran. Suggestions?
You just needed to cook it a little longer. That’s why I prefer the ice water test instead of a candy thermometer. You can see how thick it is and cook longer if needed. I have a harder time getting great results with just a thermometer for caramel.
Can the turtles be frozen? Looks so so good! Thankyou Mabel
I have never frozen candy before, but you could give it a try. I recommend just freezing a few at first to see how they turn out. Good luck!
Hello,
I used this recipe during the holidays and froze some. IMO, freezing did not affect the taste. I shared with co-workers and they enjoyed them.
Hi Kara,
Thanks so much for this recipe. I have made chocolate turtles for years using melted caramel candy squares then dipping in chocolate. Great to eat, but more trouble to make
I love your recipe and method. Definitely in my Christmas candy line up this year.
Thanks for your wonderful blog. I follow you all the time and love your down home recipes.
Happy fall.
Thanks so much for the kind words Sylvia! I really hope that you enjoy this method. We sure do!
For the toffee and turtle recipe, does it matter what type butter; salted, unsalted or margarine? Thanks. Recipes sound delicious. Cannot wait to try.
I use salted butter, but unsalted would work as well. Margarine has a higher water content, so it doesn’t work in candy recipes. At least in the recipes I’ve tried. 😉