Chocolate Turtle Candy
Toasted pecans, gooey caramel, and smooth milk chocolate come together in this four-ingredient chocolate turtle candy. Soft caramels melt with heavy cream, so no candy thermometer is required.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- jelly roll size pan
- Large saucepan
- medium size microwave safe bowl
- Parchment Paper
- large spatula
- #50 cookie scoop
- Double Boiler
- mini cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (227g) pecan halves about 2 cups
- 1 bag (11 ounces/312g) soft caramels unwrapped
- ¼ cup (60mL) heavy cream
- 1 bag (11.5 ounces/326g) milk chocolate chips about 2 cups
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and toast the pecan halves in an even layer on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan for 8 to 10 minutes, moving them around frequently. Stop when they smell nutty and look slightly darker; alternatively, toast them in a large saucepan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Take the toasted pecans off the heat and leave them to cool. The nuts should lose their oven heat before you chop them.
- Combine the unwrapped caramels and heavy cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl, then microwave on HIGH in 20-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until smooth. The mixture may initially look separated or barely changed, but continued heating and stirring will bring it together; let it cool slightly once no lumps remain.
- Cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper. The lined surfaces will support the soft clusters through portioning and chilling.
- Chop the cooled pecans coarsely and fold them into the slightly cooled caramel with a large spatula. Keep folding until nuts appear throughout the mixture rather than collecting in one area.
- Portion tablespoon-size mounds onto the lined sheets with a spoon or #50 cookie scoop, placing 8 on each pan in 4 rows of 2. Leave enough space between mounds to cut a separate parchment square around each candy later.
- Set the portioned clusters aside and melt the milk chocolate chips gently in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in a double boiler. Stir until the chocolate flows smoothly without remaining chip-shaped lumps.
- Spoon 2 to 3 teaspoons of melted chocolate over each pecan-caramel mound, using a teaspoon-size scoop if helpful. A sweep with the back of the scoop can leave an optional swirl across the smooth topping.
- Let the chocolate firm, then chill the sheets in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or the freezer for about 10 minutes to make handling easier. The topping should feel set, although the caramel underneath will remain soft and gooey.
- Cut the parchment around the firm candies into individual squares and transfer the pieces, still on their squares, to a covered container in the refrigerator. Each paper base supports the sticky filling without requiring you to peel it away.
Notes
Ingredient tip: Toast whole pecan halves before chopping so they brown evenly without smaller pieces darkening too fast, and use individually wrapped soft caramels rather than caramel bits or caramel creams.
Texture tip: Let the melted caramel cool until it falls slowly from the spatula and briefly holds a mound so the scooped clusters do not spread flat.
Handling tip: After chilling, cut the parchment into individual squares around each candy and keep the paper underneath rather than trying to peel the sticky center away.
Storage: Store the chilled candies on their parchment squares in a covered container in the refrigerator with parchment between layers, or freeze them in a closed container and thaw in the refrigerator.
Serving tip: Let refrigerated candies rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the caramel softens slightly.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.