Easy 3-Ingredient Turtles Candy uses lightly roasted pecans, soft caramels, and dark chocolate melting wafers to create adorable turtle-shaped treats in minutes. This simple homemade turtle candy is perfect for Christmas cookie trays and edible gifts.
When you need a small-batch holiday candy that looks impressive but takes almost no effort, Easy 3-Ingredient Turtles Candy delivers every time. With just pecan halves, store-bought caramels, and dark chocolate melting wafers, you turn three simple ingredients into classic turtle candy worthy of any gourmet shop.
Whether you add them to Christmas dessert platters, wrap them in cellophane bags, or tuck them into holiday tins, these cute little turtles bring a fun, nostalgic touch to your homemade candy lineup.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Adorable presentation. The classic turtle shape instantly dresses up any dessert tray or gift box.
- No special equipment. You use a baking sheet, parchment or silicone mat, and your hands. No candy thermometer needed.
- Foolproof method. The oven gently melts both the caramel and chocolate, giving you smooth, shiny turtles without scorching.
- Perfect for gifting. The candy is sturdy enough to package, ship, and share, but still has a soft, chewy center.
Ingredients for Easy 3-Ingredient Turtles Candy
I used the following ingredients for this awesome treat: Lightly roasted pecan halves, store-bought caramels, and dark chocolate melting wafers. That's it!
Steps to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Turtles Candy
- Toast the Pecans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pecan halves in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Let the pecans cool completely so they stay crisp.
- Prep the Caramels: Unwrap the caramels. Press each caramel into a roughly 1¼-inch flat square using the heel of your hand so it sits nicely on the pecans.
- Assemble the Turtle Shapes: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. For each turtle, cut a small diagonal piece (about ¼ to ½ inch) from opposite sides of two pecan halves to create "legs" that fit together more snugly. Place the leg pieces together on the lined baking sheet. Add two whole pecan halves above the legs with their ends touching to form the body. Then, place one more pecan half at the top for the head. Repeat this to form 12 turtle-shaped pecan clusters.
- Add and Melt the Caramels: Place a flattened caramel square in the center of each pecan turtle. Bake in the 350°F oven for 4-5 minutes, just until the caramel softens, looks slightly shiny at the edges, and begins to drip lightly between the pecans. Watch closely so the caramel does not melt completely and puddle.
- Add and Melt the Chocolate: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately place two dark chocolate melting wafers on top of each softened caramel. Return the baking sheet to the oven for 1-2 minutes, until the wafers lose their matte look and turn glossy as they soften.
- Finish and Cool: Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use the back of a small spoon to gently spread the melted chocolate over the caramel, keeping the turtle shape visible. Let the turtles cool completely on the baking sheet until the chocolate firms up, and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Easy 3-Ingredient Turtles Candy proves that you don't need a long ingredient list or complicated candy-making steps to produce a showstopping holiday treat.
Lightly roasted pecans, tender caramel, and glossy dark chocolate come together in the cutest turtle shapes, perfect for cookie trays, classroom parties, and edible gifts. Once you see how quickly these turtles disappear, they're likely to become a must-make candy on your Christmas baking list every year. Yum!
Chula's Test Kitchen Tips
- Don't skip the pecan roasting. Light roasting the pecans at 350°F for about 8 minutes intensifies the pecan flavor and adds a pleasant crunch.
- Flatten caramels evenly. Pressing the caramels into even squares helps them melt uniformly without running all over the pan.
- Watch the caramels closely. Remove the pan from the oven as soon as the caramel edges look shiny and begin to drip between the pecans. Over-melting makes the turtles spread too much.
- Use melting wafers instead of chips. Dark chocolate melting wafers give a smoother texture and more professional-looking shine than regular chocolate chips.
- Line the pan. Parchment or a silicone baking mat prevents sticking and makes cleanup easy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Milk chocolate melting wafers work beautifully if you prefer a sweeter turtle candy. Just melt them the same way and spread them over the caramel.
You can use the microwave instead, but the oven provides more even, controlled melting. The recipe is tested using the oven method for both caramel and chocolate to prevent scorching.
When stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature, the turtles stay fresh for up to a week.
Absolutely. Simply double all ingredients and work in batches, using two baking sheets if needed, so the turtles have room to keep their shape.
Other Christmas Candy
Looking for other candies to make and gift for Christmas? We have you covered.
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Easy 3-Ingredient Turtles Candy
Equipment
- half-sheet pan
- Silicone liner
Ingredients
- 60 pecan halves, lightly roasted (See Note 1)
- 12 caramels, unwrapped (See Note 2)
- 24 dark chocolate melting wafers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- For the turtle legs, cut about ¼ to ½ inch diagonally on opposite sides of 24 pecan halves. Place the legs together on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Assemble two pecan halves above the legs with the ends touching, and add the remaining pecan half for the head.
- Unwrap the caramels. Flatten each to a 1 ¼ inch square with the heel of your hand. Place flattened caramels in the center of pecan clusters.
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the caramel starts to melt. Watch carefully to ensure that the caramel doesn't melt completely. (See Notes 3 and 4)
- Remove from oven and place 2 melting wafers in the center of each caramel. Return to oven for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the melting wafers begin to melt. (See Note 5)
- Remove from oven and spread melted chocolate over the caramel with the back of a small spoon.
- Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Yield: 12 Turtle Candies. (See Note 6)
Tips/Notes
- To lightly roast the pecan halves, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in a preheated oven at 350°F for 8 minutes. Cool completely.
- I used Kraft caramels.
- The caramels should be slightly shiny around the edges and just starting to drip in the spaces between the pecans. Watch carefully, however, because the caramels can quickly melt too much.
- I've tried this in the microwave and found that using the oven for melting the caramels (and the melting wafers for that matter) worked better, at least for me.
- The melting wafers are ready when their surface changes from a matte finish to a shiny finish.
- For an even more festive look, drizzle white chocolate over the cooled Turtles.
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