This Homemade Turtle Candy recipe is a perfect sweet and gourmet treat. A bite sized candy, these Chocolate Turtles are meant to be shared!!
Pecan Turtles are a classic decadent chocolate treat that I can’t get enough of. Have you ever made a dessert charcuterie board? Turtle Chocolate Candy is a must have dessert for your board!
Learn my step-by-step instructions to make this turtle candy recipe that your family will ask for again and again. A delicious homemade candy that will look like a professional made it!!
My chocolate caramel candies are little bits of bliss that is so tasty and chewy. The key to turtles is making my homemade caramel recipe!! And it’s so good!!!!
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Why is it Called Turtle Candy?
The reason these are called turtles is because of how the finished candy looks. When you think of turtles, they have 4 legs.
Well, my turtles only have 3! Don’t ask me why they only have 3 but that is how I learned how to make these.
Three pieces of pecans represent the turtles’ feet, the caramel is its body, and the turtle shell is the protective milk chocolate covering the homemade caramel.
How to Make Homemade Caramel for Turtles
Gather your ingredients to make your turtle caramel. Pick a large work are to assemble your turtles like a countertop or table.
Lay heavy-duty foil or plastic wrap on your work surface. Spray the surface with a light coating of cooking spray. In a container, combine the heavy whipping cream and the milk together.
In a 6-quart stockpot, pour 3/4 cup of the milk mixture, granulated sugars, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Combine the ingredients together with a high heat silicone spatula.
Continue stirring to dissolve the sugars. Over medium heat, bring to a rolling boil.
Cook the homemade caramel to 234°F, using a digital thermometer to keep track of the temperature. I like my Taylor digital thermometer for this job.
With the saucepan still on medium heat, very slowly add in the remaining 3/4 cup of milk mixture stirring constantly. Making sure the caramel mixture continues to boil as you pour in the milk mixture.
Continue cooking and stirring the boiling caramel mixture to 244°F. Remove the pan from heat and add in butter and vanilla. Stir to combine.
This process takes me about 1 hour. Do not rush this process otherwise your caramel will not set properly. Cooking time will vary.
How to Make Homemade Turtle Candy
On your large worksurface that is covered with a piece of foil or plastic wrap make sure to coat the covered surface with non-stick cooking spray.
TIP: I have on occasions forgotten to spray my work surface with cooking oil. If this happens to you, refrigerate, or freeze the finished turtles and then pop them off.
Arrange three pecans in small clusters on the sprayed surface. (See Photo) You will have about 30 to 36 piles of pecans spread on the greased surface.
Once the homemade caramel has come to the right temperature (not to hot and not to cold), spoon about 1 tablespoon on top of the pecan cluster.
Be careful to keep the pecans together and not spread out when the caramel is poured on top. Let the caramel set.
Chocolate Turtles
Melt the milk chocolate to cover the top of the turtles. Place the chocolate wafers in a microwaveable bowl. Keep a few pieces of the chocolate out and set aside.
Optional step: add the shortening or paramount crystals on top of the chocolate. Add shortening or paramount crystals if you are using old chocolate or if you want a softer bite to your turtles.
Microwave in 30 second intervals, making sure to stir the chocolate between intervals. Do not overheat the Chocolate.
When the chocolate is melted, add the few pieces of the extra chocolate that was set aside. Stir until melted. Do not microwave, just stir to melt.
This step is tedious but trust me it is worth the effort. This is called “tempering the chocolate” and will help prevent the white streaks in your finished turtles.
Top the caramel covered pecan turtle legs with a tablespoon of melted chocolate. Let the turtles set before trying to move them.
What Chocolate Can I Use to Make Pecan Turtles?
It is best to use candy melts or wafer chocolate for your turtle’s. Chocolate chips will work but have a protective coating on them to keep them from melting which makes it harder to reach the desired outcome that you want.
Why Did My Chocolate Seize up?
If your chocolate is not melting properly or seizing up, then it could be a couple different problems. Chocolate that is old will not want to melt but you can add a tablespoon of shortening or paramount crystals to help with the melting process.
Seized chocolate can also happen if you get it to hot and you don’t stir it properly. Chocolate will burn quickly!!
Remember to stir the chocolate often, especially in the beginning stages of melting chocolate. Low temperature and when microwaving, do no more than 30 second intervals and stir in-between intervals.
If water encounters your chocolate, it will seize and cannot be recovered. So, keep the water away from your chocolate. Remember, water is not your friend when working with chocolate.
Homemade Turtle Candy – FAQ
Leave the caramel pecan clusters on the foil or plastic wrap. Store in a sealed container. With a pair of scissors, cut the foil or plastic wrap to the size of your storage container. Lay in layers in your storage container. Keep cold for up to 4 weeks or store in the freezer for 2 months. When ready to serve leave the clusters on the foil or remove when they are cold and place on a flattened cupcake wrapper. TIP: When the turtle candy comes to room temperature, the caramel will stick to whatever it is touching.
Homemade turtle candy will last up to 4 weeks if kept cold or 2 months in the freezer. If this turtle chocolate candy is left at room temperature, then they will last for 7 days.
If you do not want to make homemade caramel, then use Kraft caramels. Melt down the square caramels with a little cream and pour over the pecan pieces. Use fresh chocolate for best results. If using older chocolate, add some shortening or paramount crystals to the chocolate while melting. To remove the cluster easily from the foil, get them cold and then pop the clusters off.
Homemade Turtle Candy Recipe
Chocolate Caramel Candies with Pecans
This Homemade Turtle Candy recipe is a perfect sweet and gourmet treat. A bite sized candy, these Chocolate Turtles are meant to be shared!! Pecan Turtles are a classic decadent chocolate treat that I can’t get enough of.
Ingredients
- Heavy Cream, Divided 1 cup
- Milk, Divided 1/2 cup
- Sugar, Granulated 1/2 cup
- Brown Sugar, Packed 1/2 cup
- Corn Syrup, Light 3/4 cup
- Salt 1/8 teaspoon
- Vanilla 1/2 teaspoon
- Butter, Salted 2 tablespoons
- Pecans. 3 cups
- Milk Chocolate, wafers. 2 cups
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients to make your homemade turtle caramel.
- First, pick a large work area to assemble your turtles like a countertop or table. Lay heavy-duty foil or plastic wrap on your work surface. Spray the surface with cooking spray.
- Use a small container, combine the heavy whipping cream and the milk together.
- In a 6-quart stockpot, pour 3/4 cup of the cream mixture, granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Combine the ingredients together with a high heat silicone spatula. Continue stirring to dissolve the sugars.
- Over medium heat, bring to a rolling boil. Cook the homemade caramel mixture to 234°F, using a digital thermometer to keep track of the temperature. I like to use a Taylor digital thermometer for this job.
- With the saucepan still on medium heat, very slowly add in the remaining 3/4 cup of cream mixture stirring constantly. Making sure the caramel mixture continues to boil as you pour in the cream mixture.
- Continue cooking and stirring the boiling caramel mixture to 244°F.
- Remove the pan from heat, add in the vanilla and butter. Stir to combine.
- This caramel making process takes me about 1 hour. Do not rush this process otherwise your caramel will not set properly. Cooking time will vary.
- How to Make Pecan Turtle Candy
On your large worksurface that is covered with a piece of foil or plastic wrap make sure to coat the covered surface with cooking spray. - Arrange three pecans in small clusters on the sprayed surface. (See Photo)
- Once the homemade caramel has come to the right temperature (not to hot and not to cold), spoon about 1 tablespoon on top of the pecan cluster. Be careful to keep the pecans together and not spread out when the caramel is poured on top. Let the caramel set.
- Chocolate Turtles
Melt the milk chocolate to cover the top of the turtles. Place the chocolate wafers in a microwaveable bowl. Keep a few pieces of the chocolate out and set aside. Optional step: add the shortening or paramount crystals on top of the chocolate. Add shortening or paramount crystals if you are using old chocolate or if you want a softer bite to your turtles. Microwave in 30 second intervals, making sure to stir the chocolate between intervals. Do not overheat the Chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, add the few pieces of the extra chocolate that was set aside. Stir until melted. Do not microwave, just stir to melt. This step is tedious but trust me it is worth the effort. This is called “tempering the chocolate” and will help prevent the white streaks in your finished turtles. - Top the set caramel with about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate.
- Let the completely assembled turtle candy set.
- Refrigerate or freeze any unused pecan turtles.
Notes
- TIP: I have on occasions forgotten to spray my work surface with cooking oil. If this happens to you, refrigerate, or freeze the finished turtles and then pop them off.
- Use melted down Kraft square caramels instead of making homemade caramel.
- If you are having trouble melting your chocolate, use 1 tablespoon of shortening or paramount crystals to help with the melting process.
- Store unused caramel pecan turtles in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.
- Use milk chocolate wafers instead of milk chocolate chips for best results.
- Store any unused caramel in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This page contains affiliate links. Click on the highlighted text in a post to explore a product. If you purchase through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I ONLY EVER ENDORSE PRODUCTS THAT I TRULY LOVE. Thank you for your support!
Nutrition Information
Yield
38Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 146Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 8mgSodium 51mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 1g
Note: For exact nutritional information, consult your dietitian. All nutritional information is simply a guideline.
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If you enjoy this recipe, you may enjoy the following: Peanut Clusters and Kahlua Fudge
