It’s easy to make turtles. The hardest part will be not eating too many of them
Preparing turtles is quite easy, and fun too. And they are delicious. The crunchy pecans (make sure to toast them first, it makes a HUGE difference) combined with the gooey caramel and some dark chocolate to bring it all together….so, so good.
So let’s get to it.
You will need about a cup of whole pecans, prepared caramel, bittersweet chocolate to melt, and some Maldon sea salt flakes.
First, start with the caramel.
We used this recipe here. Don’t be scared of caramel, it’s not that hard to prepare. And with this recipe you don’t need any special tools.
You can prepare the caramel in advance and reheat it briefly in the microwave or on the stovetop to soften it. Don’t heat it for too long or else you will risk that the caramel loses its signature gooeyness and turns hard like a candy.
Start by toasting the pecans. This step is key to add that finishing taste to your turtles. Heat your dairy oven to 350°F and toast the pecans on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. Let cool.
Prepare the caramel as in this recipe here and like we said, this can be done in advance too.
Lay out the pecans, 4 pecans clustered together.
Top with a dollop of caramel. Use a spoon to do that.
Push the pecans in so that they stick to the caramel. Let set.
Melt some bittersweet chocolate and pour over the caramel, to cover.
Sprinkle with a few flakes of Maldon sea salt
and refrigerate until set.
You can use these turtles to decorate your cheesecake or simply lay them out on a platter for a beautiful and delicious treat.
Homemade Caramel Turtles
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Homemade Caramel Sauce
- whole pecans
- bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare caramel according to instructions in this post. This can be done in advance, and caramel can be warmed when ready to assemble.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add pecans and toast for 10 minutes. Let cool.
- Lay out the pecans, 4 pecans clustered together. Top with a dollop of caramel. Use a spoon to do that. Push the pecans in so that they stick to the caramel. Let set.
- Melt some bittersweet chocolate and pour over the caramel to cover. Sprinkle with a few flakes of Maldon sea salt and refrigerate until set.
Hi
Recipe looks delish. What is the pot in the picture of the caramel? Looks like smooth and easy to clean.
I love the cheesecake featured! Do you have instructions for that pretty frosting somewhere?
Omg this is dangerous!
Just wondering, why don’t you top it with dairy chocolate? Once the caramel is dairy anyway…:)
May be too sweet. The pareve chocolate will offset it better. Plus the sea salt.
Can I use store bought Caramel? That comes in glass jar. Will consistency work?
I’d love to know the answer to this, as well…
I’d imagine the problem with store bought sauce is that it wouldn’t harden to a candy consistency. When you pick up the turtle, I’m thinking it would probably fall apart.
I made the caramel turtles but was very disappointed how they tasted! After it sat out for a little the caramel turned lighter and didn’t taste good. Did anyone else have this problem? I’m curious to know what you think might have gone wrong?
Note to anyone making it; make sure the caramel is cool enough and hardens a little before you put it on the pecans.
Tried to make the caramel twice and caramel didnt thicken. After i spooned it between the nuts it slowly spread together. What did i do wrong.
I also made the turtles and caramel last week. Firstly the caramel needs to be left out until it hardens a little and is t runny. Secondly, they don’t seem to last well unless stored in the freezer but even so, the caramel didn’t look good on the turtles. Hope u can clarify the recipe
Thanks for such a great recipe! It was delicious! I found it hard lifting up the titles since the caramel was soft.. I recommend next time placing a little chocolate, caramel and then chocolate on top so that the chocolate hardens under the caramel and the turtles will be easier to handle!
Thanks again for a great site!