Turtles Recipe

Multiple turtles topped with flaky sea salt.

Celebrate your favorite occasion with my delicious no-bake homemade turtle candy. In only 30 minutes, craft the distinctive and classic treat of gooey caramel, milk chocolate, and crunchy pecan clusters.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Set Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings turtles

Calories 123kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

2 cups pecan halves toasted (240g)
½ (11-ounce/311g) bag soft caramels unwrapped
1½ tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup milk chocolate chips (170g)
Flakey sea salt (optional)

Instructions

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cluster the pecans in small piles of 3 to 5 nuts per pile on the prepared sheet pans.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the caramels and heavy cream in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds until smooth, about 2 minutes. Top each pecan pile with a spoonful of melted caramel (about ½ tablespoon).
In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds until smooth. Top each pecan pile with a small spoonful of chocolate. Sprinkle the tops with flakey sea salt, if you’d like. Let the chocolate set, about 20 minutes, before serving.

Notes

Overlap the pecans. When putting the nut halves into clusters, be sure to overlap them so that the caramel mixture won’t seep through. This makes for easier transferring after the chocolate and caramel have cooled.
Stir the caramel frequently. Take your time when heating the caramel and heavy cream mixture. Stirring every 15 seconds keeps the sauce from burning. Directly after heating, the caramel may seem runny, but it will firm up quickly as it cools.
Use ½ tablespoon of caramel per cluster. I spooned about ½ tablespoon (equal to 1½ teaspoons) of caramel on top of each pecan pile to give each cluster a proportional amount of flavor.
Optional variation: toast the pecans or use different nuts. Toasted pecans makes for extra crunchy nut clusters and enhanced flavor. It is the perfect way to elevate this sweet treat to delicious heights! Additionally, you can also make these with roasted peanuts, almonds, or even hazelnuts for a new twist on this classic recipe.

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