Name: Chocolate Turtles
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1-11-oz package individually wrapped Kraft caramels, unwrapped; 2 ¾ cups semi sweet chocolate chips; 2 tsp coconut oil; 120 Pecan halves; flakey Fleur de Sel or Maldon Sea Salt

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These Chocolate Turtles are one of the easiest homemade candies to make! They take just 5 simple ingredients, and come together in a snap! They are chewy, and chocolatey, and the touch of fleur de sel sea salt, just sends them over the edge of deliciousness! They also make for a great food gift idea too!

For more food gift ideas try my Peanut Brittle, Christmas Granola or Raspberry Thumbprint Cookie recipes too!

Chocolate turtles on a white candy dish — Chocolate Turtles are one of the easiest candies to make at home

Watch My Video Demo of The Turtles Below!

Also featured in this video is Dad’s Chocolate Cake Recipe

Step#1: Positioning the Pecans

There are a lot of ways to make Pecan Turtles. Some recipes use 3 pecans, others use chopped pecans, but for me I prefer Chocolate Turtles that well, look like turtles! So I use 5 pecan halves.
One pecan half for the head and 4 pecan halves for the little hands and feet.
I think it’s helpful to lay them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet ahead of time, since it will take some choosing to assure each pecan half is in good shape and not cracked or broken. For this, you may want to buy a bit more than you need.

Pecans laid out in the form of turtles on a parchment lined cookie sheet — Lining up the Pecans first helps to make sure none are broken

Step#2: Softening the Caramel

Now you’ll notice I did not say “melting” the caramel! Which is how my grandmother used to do it, in a double boiler.
But I find that to be too complicated since the caramel gets scorching hot and you have to wait for it to cool before handling it and then it’s hard to get the exact quantity right so each turtle has the same amount of caramel in them and is uniform in shape.
Instead, I unwrap all the Kraft Caramels and place them in a 4-cup Pyrex Pitcher so they have room to spread out and microwave them in :30 increments until they are just softened. That way it’s easy to take two, stick them together and then roll them into a ball.

a bowl of softened Kraft Caramels in a clear bowl — Soften the caramels in the microwave don’t melt them. They will be easier to form this way

Step#3: Forming the Turtles with the Caramel and Pecans

When the caramel is softened it feels a lot like playdoh and you can gently insert the pecans into the caramel ball to form a turtle shape
Sometimes if the pecans are brittle they will break off, not to worry you can use those up in some granola or trail mix.
This is why I usually buy an extra bag of pecans so that there are extras! Because sometimes the pecans also break apart in the bag.

affixing pecan halves to a ball of softened caramels — Once the caramel is softened it’s a bit like working with Playdoh. The Pecans are easily inserted

Step#4: Melting the Chocolate

It’s better to use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. This will prevent it from scorching and will keep the chocolate melted while its added to the pecan turtles.
If you don’t have a traditional double-boiler-set then you can easily create one with 2 pots that are roughly the same size or where one is smaller than the other.
Place the larger pot on the bottom and fill it with water. Set it to boil. Then add the second pot on top, and fill it with the chocolate and coconut oil.
Once the chocolate starts to melt, reduce the heat to low to keep the water warm and the chocolate melted.

Melting Chocolate chips in a double boiler on a cooktop — Use a double-boiler to melt the chocolate. It will be more stable this way and prevents scorching

Step#5: Adding the Flakey Sea Salt

The addition of a little pinch of flakey sea salt on top of the chocolate turtles is a fantastic flavor combination! You can use a traditional French Fleur de Sel or Maldon Sea Salt works great too.
If you aren’t a fan of the salt, you could also use chopped pecans on top, shredded unsweetened coconut, dried cranberries, or chopped hazelnuts would be great too.

Step#6: Dollop the Chocolate on the Pecan Turtles

To finish off the turtles all you have to do is dollop a generous spoonful of melted chocolate on the caramel mounds.
Be sure the chocolate extends past the caramel mound to the actual pecans.
This will help keep the whole thing together and make your chocolate turtles more stable.
Then allow the chocolate to cool slightly before adding the salt. Otherwise the salt will start to disappear and melt into the chocolate.

Homemade Turtles setting up on a sheet pan — The flakey sea salt with chocolate turtles is a divine flavor combination

Step#7: Storing The Chocolate Turtles

Store the chocolate turtles in an air tight container, layered between wax paper or parchment paper, in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. Or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
But before serving them allow them to be kept at room temperature for at least 45 minutes in order to softened.
For gifting, place in a decorative tin or cookie box, and explain to your recipient to keep them refrigerated.