This homemade Chocolate Turtles recipe has clusters of homemade microwave caramel and toasted pecans dipped in chocolate. They are soft, chewy, and so EASY to make.
Christmas candies and desserts are so much fun! Chocolate turtles make a great Christmas gift, and so do Homemade Caramels, Easy Truffles, and Chocolate Pretzel Rods.
Why I LOVE this treat:
- Quick homemade caramel: Most recipes for chocolate turtles use melted store-bought caramels, but this recipe is a winner with a homemade microwave caramel recipe that is just as easy and tastes amazing!
- Great for gifting: You can double or even triple this recipe to make homemade candy for friends and neighbors during the holidays!
- Chewy: These have the perfect soft, chewy texture you want and the right ratio of caramel to pecan and chocolate. They will WOW any friends and family!
How to make Homemade Chocolate Turtles:
Toast Pecans: Use the oven or a skillet to toast the pecans. Chop them and set aside.
Make Microwave Caramel: Melt butter in microwave then stir in brown sugar, granulated sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, and butter. Return bowl to microwave and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until about 235 degrees F. Test caramel to see if it's done (see instructions in recipe card). Stir in vanilla and chopped pecans.
Drop caramel pecan clusters onto parchment paper. Drop spoonfuls of the pecan clusters onto a parchment lined baking sheet to create individual mounds of caramel candy. (I usually get about 20, but you can make them as small or large as you like). Refrigerate. Cool until set, about 20 minutes.
Dip in Chocolate: Melt almond bark or chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in a heat proof bowl, stirring every 20 seconds until melted and smooth. Drop a cluster into the melted chocolate then use a fork to coat it all over. Lift cluster up with a fork and tap it several times to allow excess chocolate to fall through the tines of the fork, into the bowl. Place dipped pecan clusters on the parchment paper to set up.
Storing and Freezing Instructions:
To Store: Keep the best chocolate turtles in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
To Freeze: Place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place in the freezer for one hour. After this point, you can store them in a freezer Ziploc bag for 2-3 months.
More Christmas Candy:
- Caramel and Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods
- Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
- Vanilla Creme Balls
- Christmas Cornflake Wreaths
- Caramel Cashew Clusters
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Recipe
Homemade Chocolate Turtles
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups pecan halves
- 16 oz almond bark or high quality chocolate*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Toast and chop pecans: spread pecans out onto a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, stirring once, until toasted and fragrant (but not burned!). (Alternately, you can heat them in a hot skillet stirring constantly until they are fragrant, about 5 minutes). Once cooled, roughly chop the pecans and set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner. Set aside.
- Microwave Caramel: Place butter in a large microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave until melted. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and corn syrup and stir well to combine. Return bowl to microwave and cook mixture on HIGH power for about 6-8 minutes, or until it reaches about 235 degrees on an instant read thermometer, or use the ice water bath test.
- (For Ice bath test, spoon a small spoonful of the caramel into a cup of ice water. Use your fingers to pinch the caramel—it should come together into a soft ball. If it won't come together to form a ball in your fingers, return it to the microwave for an additional 30 seconds, and test again.)
- Use hot pads to carefully remove the bowl from the microwave. Stir vanilla into hot caramel. Stir in chopped pecans.
- Form Turtles: Drop large spoonfuls of the mixture onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet to create individual mounds of caramel candy. (I usually get about 20, but you can make the candies as small or large as you like). Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
- Melt almond bark or chocolate in microwave )or use a double boiler), stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.
- Dip: Drop a pecan cluster into the melted chocolate and use a fork to coat it all over. Lift the cluster up with a fork, and tap it several times to allow excess chocolate to fall through the tines of the fork, into the bowl. Place dipped clusters on the parchment paper to set up.
- Store turtles in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe December 2019. Updated December 2023.
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If you’re proficient with chopsticks, they make dipping the refrigerated clusters a breeze, trust me, knocks off oodles of time, and saves on mess.
Or if not proficient with chopsticks, remove the inside tines of a fork you won’t miss. Bending the tines back and forth with pliers usually works. And keep this “dipping fork” in the kitchen toolbox, you’d be surprised on how often it comes in handy
Doubled the recipe and will give them for Christmas. My family LOVES them. Thanks for sharing.
I think you are my new best friend of the day! Your caramel worked perfectly at 6 minutes, and was not much different in taste from the homemade caramel that I have stood over the stove and stirred for at least 45 minutes in the past. The only change that I would probably make next time is to add some sea salt, and that’s personal preference. Thank our so much for sharing your recipe!
Can you use vegan butter to make this?
Yes, I’ve made the recipe with vegan butter and vegan sweetened condensed milk and they turned out great!
Doubled the batch. Turned out excellent! Shared with kids and neighbors!, Yummy!,,
Can’t wait to try a batch . Don’t need them but turtles are soooooo good . Thanks for sharing .
Can this be made with evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk?
No, sorry.
Just made them and I noticed after refrigerating the Carmel they became hard . Does it stay hard?
The caramel should soften at room temperature.
My family loved these!
totally making these for a cookie exchange. I just baked peanut butter kisses in my new oven and I burned all but one batch. Which means my 20 year old tall ovens were shot!
ha! I think I can make these! laura in CO