This post may contain affiliate links, please see the privacy policy for details.
Looking for a sweet treat that’s easy to make and absolutely irresistible? These homemade turtles are the perfect blend of gooey caramel, rich chocolate, and crunchy pecans. With just three ingredients and no baking required, you can whip up a batch in only 20 minutes. They’re great for holiday gifting, festive celebrations, or simply indulging in a classic candy favorite. Whether you make them solo or with the kids, these delightful pecan clusters are sure to impress!
This quick and super-simple candy recipe makes the most delicious and cute homemade turtles. They’re almost too adorable to eat (but too yummy not to!)
You might also like to try Butterfinger bites, Snickers bites, these raspberry truffles, or how about these lemon blueberry sweet rolls?
Why You’ll Love It
An easy recipe: This is a straightforward recipe that even newbies in the kitchen will find simple to follow. You don’t need anything complicated like a candy thermometer or other candy-making supplies.
Very few ingredients: You don’t need anything other than pecans, caramels, chocolate chips, and a little water.
So delicious: The combination of chocolate, nuts and caramel in this delicious candy recipe is so good!
Homemade Chocolate Turtles Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Pecan halves: For the turtle legs.
Soft caramels: I like using the Werther’s Original brand.
Water: To thin the melted caramel sauce.
Chocolate chips: Semi sweet chocolate chips are ideal for this recipe.
How to Make Homemade Turtles
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Arrange the pecan halves: Lay out the pecan halves to make pecan clusters in the shape of crosses on a parchment paper or wax paper lined baking sheet.
Add the caramels: Combine the caramels with some water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted and smooth. Add a spoonful of this mixture to each pecan half cross and then freeze until set.
Add the chocolate: Melt the chocolate chips and add a spoonful of melted chocolate to each of the turtles candies. Freeze again until set, and then serve.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free caramels and chocolate chips.
Pecans: Not a fan of pecans? Try almonds or walnuts.
Chocolate chips: You can use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips.
Soft caramels: I like Werther’s Originals for this homemade turtle candy but Kraft caramels are good too. You need soft caramels, chewy caramel or even homemade caramel for the gooey caramel sauce. Don’t use the hard ones though – they don’t melt or achieve the right consistency.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Begin your meal with arancini or shredded Mexican chicken flautas.
Main dishes: Next up, serve chorizo rigatoni, cowboy stew or Italian steak with homemade onion rings.
Desserts: Serve a tray of these homemade turtle candy treats for dessert. Everyone loves homemade candy!
How to Store Homemade Chocolate Turtles
Store: Keep these in a single layer in the refrigerator or stack by separating each layer with wax paper or parchment paper so they don’t stick together. They’ll keep for about a month in the fridge.
Freeze: You can freeze these in an airtight container for up to 2 months, again using wax paper between the layers.
Thaw: Defrost them in the refrigerator overnight or enjoy as a frozen treat.
Top Tips
Salty topping: These turtles are great topped with a little bit of coarse sea salt. Just sprinkle it on top of your turtles while the chocolate is still warm. I love the sweet/salty combo!
Soft caramels: Make sure you grab soft caramels, not hard ones. If you prefer to make your own caramel, then you can use that recipe instead.
Don’t forget the parchment paper: Make sure you line your baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper, otherwise the turtles will be difficult to take off and might break when you try.
Turtle Candies FAQs
You can fit up to 12 turtles on a 9 x 13-inch baking sheet. You don’t want to overcrowd them too much in case the caramel spreads more than you expect it to, so it’s best to use a pair of baking sheets for this recipe.
If you feel like your caramel mixture is on the thinner side, you can thicken it by adding a few more unwrapped caramels. Just whisk them in until melted. They should melt pretty quickly in the hot caramel and will thicken up the mixture so it doesn’t spread too much when added to the nuts.
Easy Homemade Turtles Candy Recipe
Homemade Turtles
Equipment
- Baking Sheet 9 x 13-Inch
Ingredients
- 72 pecans halves
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 20 Werther's, I used Originals soft caramels
- 1 ½ Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Divide your pecans into groups of 4 and arrange them on a wax paper or parchment paper line baking sheet to form cross shapes.
- Add the caramels and water to a microwave-safe bowl and melt the caramels for 30 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring after each interval, until the caramel mixture is melted and smooth.
- Add a spoonful of caramel to the top of each pecan cluster and then put the baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes so they set.
- Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until completely melted.
- Top each pecan cluster with a spoonful of melted chocolate and return the turtles to the freezer for another 30 minutes.
Notes
Soft caramels: Make sure you grab soft caramels, not hard ones. If you prefer to make your own caramel, then you can use that recipe instead.
Don’t forget the parchment paper: Make sure you line your baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper, otherwise the turtles will be difficult to take off and might break when you try.
Nutrition
This homemade turtles recipe is a lot of fun to make and the turtles are cute, tasty and irresistible! You only need a few ingredients to make these sweet little bites – pecan halves, water, soft caramels, and chocolate chips. Why not get the kids to help make this super-fun recipe? They’ll enjoy eating the results with you too.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
