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–+ servings
Close up of a stack of chocolate turtles on the counter, showing the pecans and chocolate covering.
5 from 2 votes
Created by: Stefanie

Chocolate Turtles


Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
15
Chocolate Turtles include the winning combination of pecan clusters topped with homemade salted caramel and melted chocolate. They are easy treats for all the caramel-chocolate lovers!
15

Ingredients

  • 1-2 cups whole pecans
  • ¼ cup salted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
  • 7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4.4 oz. milk chocolate bar chopped into small pieces
  • ½ teaspoon shortening

Instructions

  • Arrange pecans in clusters on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and sea salt. Continue heating, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.
  • Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and add sweetened condensed milk. Continue heating over medium, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 245°F on the candy thermometer (the hard ball stage).
  • Immediately remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
  • Spoon about 1 teaspoon of caramel over each pecan cluster. You may not use all of the caramel. As the caramel cools, it will become thicker.
  • Heat chopped chocolate and ½ teaspoon of shortening in 30 second increments. Stir between heating until melted and smooth.
  • Spoon melted chocolate over the cooled caramel/pecan clusters. Allow chocolate to set (about 5-10 minutes).
  • Serve immediately or keep refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve!

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Notes

    • If you find that the caramel is spreading too much when spooned over the pecans then allow it to cool slightly before continuing. That’ll give your caramel a bit of time to thicken. I suggest testing out one or two turtles first with the caramel to assess its consistency. 
    • If you’ve already added the caramel to all your pecans and it has spread far, don’t worry - you can allow it to cool for a minute and then fold the caramel back on itself and on the pecans. The whole point is to have some of the pecans still sticking out to resemble the turtle but don’t get too hung up on perfecting it. 
    • While you don’t want your caramel too thin that it spreads too much, you also need to work fairly quickly with it since it will start to thicken. If you find that the caramel starts to thicken too much to work with then just reheat it a bit till it’s thinner.
    • You’ll want to heat your caramel to the right temperature to ensure that you get a smooth, creamy caramel that’s chewable and also melts in your mouth. Using a candy thermometer will save you a ton of trouble and will help you not exceed the indicated temperature.
    • Feel free to use any type of chocolate for this recipe, making sure to follow the same instructions above to coat the turtles. Chocolate chips work just as well!
    • I made my own caramel from scratch but you could save some time by using store-bought caramels instead.
    • We do not temper the chocolate in this recipe. If you would like to use tempered chocolate (which will give a longer-lasting result), follow the instructions in this hot chocolate bombs recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 143IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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