Easy 3-Ingredient Turtles Candy – the name says it all! With only 3 ingredients, this Turtle Candy is super easy to make and makes perfect gifts for the upcoming holidays. Don’t however be fooled by their simplicity. They taste as good as Turtle Candy that took hours to make!
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!
Making the Easy 3-Ingredient Turtles Candy
First, I cut ¼ to ½ inch diagonals on opposite sides of pecan halves for the legs. The reason for doing this was that the legs would fit together better. Next, I unwrapped the caramels and pressed them into 1-¼ inch flat squares with the heel of my hand.
Then I assembled the pecans for 6 of the turtles on a silicon lined baking sheet. I used 5 pecans per turtle. Two of the pecans that I had cut on the diagonal formed the legs. After that, I added two pecans with the edges touching above the legs. Finally, I added the remaining pecan for the head.
Once the pecans were assembled, I placed a piece of flattened caramel on each turtle.
I popped the baking sheet into a preheated 350°F oven for 4 ½ minutes to allow the caramel to start to melt. At this point, I watched carefully to ensure that the caramels didn’t melt too much. I could tell that they were ready when the edges became a bit shiny and just started to drip between the pecans.
After 4 ½ minutes, I removed the baking sheet from the oven and placed two of the melting wafers on each of the caramels.
I returned the baking sheet to the oven for another 1 ½ minutes to allow the melting wafers to melt. I could tell that the melting wafers were ready when their surface changed from a matte finish to a shiny finish.
Then, I removed the baking sheet from the oven and used the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate over the melted caramels.
I let the Turtle Candy cool on the baking sheet and made the remaining 6 Turtles on another silicon lined baking sheet.
I ended up with 12 absolutely adorable Turtles that were matched only by their simplicity and taste. These super easy Turtles Candy makes perfect edible Christmas gifts when packaged in decorative containers. Yum!
Easy 3-Ingredient Turtles Candy
Ingredients
- 60 pecan halves, lightly roasted (See Note 1)
- 12 caramels (See Note 2)
- 24 dark chocolate melting wafers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- For the turtle legs, cut about ¼ to ½ inch diagonal on opposite sides of 24 pecan halves. Place the legs together on parchment or silicon 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 center of pecan clusters.
- Place baking sheet in preheated oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or until caramel starts to melt. Watch carefully to ensure that caramel doesn't melt completely. (See Notes 3 and 4)
- Remove from oven and place 2 melting wafers in center of each caramel. Return to oven for 1 to 2 minutes, or until 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 baking sheet. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Yield: 12 Turtle Candies. (See Note 6)
Chula's Expert Tips
- To lightly roast the pecan halves spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in a preheated 350° F oven 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 shiny finish.
- For an even more festive look, drizzle white chocolate over the cooled Turtles.
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