Making your own homemade turtle candy is a great pastime that is perfect year-round. Caramel, chocolate, with a little crunch! Nothings better.

These are gooey and chewy bits of caramel over pecan nuts and then given a chocolate coating over the top. Trust me, these little candies are everything you want them to be, and more. Finishing them off is a simple sprinkle of sea salt that just helps to make the flavors sing on your tongue. Yum!

We love holiday treats…well, we love “treats” in general but holiday-themed ones just have a nicer feel to them. Something about the joy of Christmas and the holiday spirit really helps to make the process fun from start to finish.

Licking the chocolate out of the bowl also helps to keep the mood light as we wait for them to firm up in the fridge. Can’t waste good chocolate, am I right? 😉

This homemade turtle candy combines 5 ingredients and just a few steps that are very easy for anyone to accomplish, pro or novice bakers alike! It’s also a simple enough task that you can grab the kids and have them help along!

Unwrapping caramels is a great example of a way that they can help. Just keep an eye on them as you may notice caramels magically disappearing.

Ingredients for turtle candy

Pecans– Using whole (or even chopped) pecans to get us a nutty crunch in our turtle candies. You can find these nuts in the baking aisle for your grocery store (or online).
Caramels– We need unwrapped soft caramel candies, (like those Kraft caramel squares) to get the chewy buttery flavor in the turtle candies.
Heavy Cream– Mixing heavy cream with the caramel will help it to become spreadable and creamier, which is awesome.
Chocolate– You can use any type of chocolate you prefer from melted chocolate chips to melting chocolate or even your favorite chocolate bar.
Sea Salt– Adding a little bit of sea salt or flakey salt to the top adds a little more flavor variety and really helps to elevate the candies to feeling more gourmet.

How to make homemade turtle candies

On a lined baking sheet, spread out the pecans.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt your caramel and heavy cream in 30-second intervals in the microwave until almost completely melted. Stir until the mixture looks completely melted.
Drop the caramel mixture by the tablespoonsful over the pecans, spread them out slightly.
In another bowl, melt the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring well between each until smooth.
Drizzle the chocolate over the caramel pecans.
Sprinkle some sea salt over the top and then place the sheet in the fridge to help the chocolate caramel clusters set.
Repeat the process as needed until all of the pecans have been used.

How long are homemade turtles good for?

You can expect these candies to last for up to 3 weeks if stored in an airtight container in the fridge or even longer in the freezer.

These candies are very freezer friendly and can be stored for up to 3 months in advance! Perfect for getting holiday baking done and out of the way before the hustle and bustle of life takes over.

What type of chocolate should I use?

I recommend milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate because the flavors are so incredible together but even dark chocolate tastes great and gives a nice change of flavor too.

Do a mix of chocolate varieties or pick your favorite one. You can never really go wrong when you pick your favorites.

a side view of gooey caramel from homemade turtle candy

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