Homemade Turtle Candy . . . these decadent little clusters are a perfect combination of crunchy and chewy all rolled into one amazing candy. A simple homemade caramel makes this recipe the best!
Turtles have always been one of my favorite candies. The crunchy pecans, the chewy caramel, the melt in your mouth chocolate. Simply incredible. I don’t know why I never thought to make a homemade version before now.
Guys, this homemade turtle candy is amazing. Way better than any store bought turtles I’ve ever tried!
HOW TO MAKE TURTLE CANDY
Don’t be intimidated about the candy making process, these turtles are really quite simple to make. You start by toasting your pecans. Toasting makes a huge difference in the flavor of the finished product, so don’t skip this step. Just place your pecans on a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for about 10 minutes. They will smell amazing!
Arrange the pecans in clusters of 3-4 on baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats. If you don’t have them, you can use waxed or parchment paper sprayed with non-stick spray.
As soon as your caramel is ready, immediately spoon the hot caramel on top of the clusters, making sure each pecan is covered with some caramel. Don’t worry about perfection, just work fast. If the caramel starts to set up, you can pop it back on the stove for a minute or two.
You can wait for the caramel to set up, or just add the chocolate now. Just melt the chocolate and oil in a small glass bowl in the microwave at half power, stirring often. Then spoon a small amount of chocolate on top of each turtle. Use the back of your spoon to make a little swirl in the chocolate as you lift it.
The hardest part about homemade turtle candy is waiting for the chocolate to set up. Be patient, it can take awhile. Mine weren’t totally set up for a couple of hours. Of course, you don’t have to wait that long to eat one! 🙂
You can tell they are set up when the chocolate loses its shiny luster.
Now you can go ahead and dive right in. Mmmmm.
For more treats perfect for the holidays, checkthese out:
Homemade Turtles Candy recipe - Baked pecans covered in a delicious homemade caramel and topped with with melted chocolate! These treats make perfect neighbor gifts for the holidays!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Ingredients
3 cups whole pecans
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
Dash of salt
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk (half of a 14oz can)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)
1/2 tsp vegetable oil or shortening
Instructions
Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes or till lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool. Arrange in clusters of 3-4 on silicone liners or parchment paper.
Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a 6 quart pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
Continue cooking and stirring till mixture reaches 235-240 degrees. I like to use the ice water test, it's more accurate. Drop a small spoonful of the hot caramel into a bowl of ice water. When you take it out, you should be able to roll it into a ball. Then it's done.
Quickly spoon the caramel over the pecan clusters, making sure caramel is touching each of the pecans. Let sit to harden.
Melt the chocolate chips and oil in the microwave at half power, stirring often till smooth. Spoon chocolate on top of each layer of caramel. Let sit for 1-2 hours, or till hardened.
Leave a comment below and pin the recipe to Pinterest!
This turtle recipe is perfect for holiday gift giving, but seriously, homemade turtle candy with pecans and caramel is going to be well received any time of year!
Developed in 1918 by DeMet's Candy Company, these delectable bites were made of pecan pieces that were coated in caramel and then enveloped inside a glob of gourmet chocolate. And why were they called turtles? Because they actually looked like turtles with a large, chocolate covered shell.
Turtles are a candy made with pecans and caramel dipped in chocolate, with a shape resembling a turtle. The name is trademarked by DeMet's Candy Company.
The chocolate turtle today is a trademarked candy from Chicago's DeMet's Candy Company. However, candy history tells us that the "turtle" originated in San Francisco during the early 1900s. The chocolate candy with caramel and pecans was the creation of a candy chef named Louis Gordon Hooper.
Both pecan delights and turtles are made up of chocolate, caramel, and pecans so they're very similar! What is this? You may just find them called different things depending on the brand that makes them. Turtles are pretty common while Russell Stover is known for their Pecan Delights.
Here is a list based on popularity: pee-KAHN — most dominant phrasing nationwide. PEE-can — most dominant on the east coast. pick-AHN — popular in areas like Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi.
It was in 1916 in the windy city of Chicago that George DeMet brought the Turtle to life. Back then it only came in one variety, which was caramel, pecans, and chocolate. Since peanuts tended to be the nut of choice in candies, we imagine that using pecans must have been quite scandalous!
Our easy Homemade Turtles are made with chewy caramel, toasted pecans, and rich chocolate for one of the BEST Christmas candy recipes that you really can (and should!)
What does turtle meat taste like? A large snapping turtle is said to contain seven distinct types of meat, each reminiscent of pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, veal, fish or goat. (Those less enamored of the protein might describe its flavor as muddy, dirty, mushy and chewy, however.)
What is the difference between Pralines and Turtles? The turtles contain pecans and chocolate, the pralines do not. Pralines use Almonds in the recipe, Homemade Turtle Candy with Pecans and Caramel, uses pecans.
A Culver's Classic! We begin with creamy Vanilla Fresh Frozen Custard and swirl in ribbons of old fashioned salted caramel, novelty chocolate, and toasted pecan pieces.
DeMet's started in 1898 as a candy store business and soda fountain shop by George DeMet of Chicago — subsequently creating Turtles candies in 1966. After a series of mergers and acquisitions, DeMet's was purchased by Nestlé in 1988.
The popular saying about turtle meat at the time that still holds to this day is that turtle is made up of a miscellany of meat, seven kinds—shrimp, goat, pork, fish, lamb, beef, and chicken. Of course, it is all turtle meat, yet the blend of these meat flavors remains within the flesh.
A turtle pie is a dessert pie, originating in the United States. The turtle pie got its name due to the caramel, chocolate and pecans that are used to top the pies, which are said to have a similarity in flavor to that of DeMet's Turtles, which use similar ingredients.
Before the 14th century in Old English, “turtle” was a word for what we now call a turtledove. The word “turtle” was meant to sound like a turtledove's cooing. Only in the 1600s did the word turtle become a word for the reptiles, when the French tortue was misunderstood as sounding like the English “turtle.”
This cheesecake, using caramel, chocolate, and nuts, is named after Turtles, a confection developed in the United States by Johnson's Candy Company in 1918, so named because the shape of the treat resembles a turtle.
Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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