Easy, Four Ingredient Chocolate Pecan Turtles
This post contains affiliate links (paid links). Advertisements displayed on this website do not reflect endorsements or recommendations made by Mitten Girl LLC. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Skip to Recipe
Whether for yourself or to give as a gift, homemade chocolate pecan turtles are a delicious treat that comes together quickly and is super easy to make.
With their gooey caramel, crunchy pecans, rich chocolate, pecan turtles have always been one of my favorite candies. They’re my top pick in any chocolate shop and great to make and give at Christmas time.
We’re taking a shortcut with these candies, leaving out the make-your-own caramel part. Why deal with corn syrup, heavy cream or a candy thermometer and make your own caramel when you can cut out the hardest part and buy caramels at the store?
This chocolate turtles recipe is super easy, yet still creates delicious, homemade candies. I love gifting these during the holiday season along with some peppermint bark or cranberry shortbread cookies.
Ingredients
- Kraft caramels – Use classic, square Kraft caramels for this recipe.
- Pecan halves – Choosing pecan halves is important here as they give both flavor and structure to the candy. Skip the smaller pecan pieces.
- Chocolate chips – I love Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips for this recipe, but you can use whatever chocolate chips you prefer. DO NOT use candy melts or any other type of chocolate for this recipe. It needs to be chocolate chips or the chocolate won’t set up correctly.
- Coconut oil (optional) – This gives extra gloss and a smooth texture to the melted chocolate chips, but you can skip it if you don’t have any on hand. DO NOT substitute another oil.
How to Make Pecan Turtles
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner mat. Unwrap caramels and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Place in a 225 degree oven for 3-5 minutes or until the caramels are softened and starting to melt.
Remove caramels from the oven. While they’re still hot, carefully press 4 pecan halves into each caramel.
Set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and coconut oil.
Melt chocolate chips by microwaving the chocolate in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval, for a total of 80 seconds.
Stir chocolate chips until smooth.
Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of melted chocolate over each of the caramel pecan clusters. Create a little swirl on the top of the chocolate with the tip of your spoon as you finish the chocolate on each cluster.
Set aside and allow chocolate to set/solidify. This will take 2-3 hours at room temperature, depending on the heat and humidity in your house.
Carefully remove from parchment paper and store in an airtight container lined with a layer of parchment for up to 5 days.
Four Ingredient Pecan Turtles
Ingredients
- 12 Kraft caramels
- 48 pecan halves
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Heat oven to 225 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Unwrap caramels and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.12 Kraft caramels
- Place in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the caramels are softened and starting to melt.
- Remove caramels from the oven. While they’re still hot, carefully press 4 pecan halves into each caramel. Set aside to cool.48 pecan halves
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and coconut oil (if using).1 cup chocolate chips, 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- Microwave chocolate for 80 seconds, pausing and stirring every 15 seconds.
- Stir chocolate chips until smooth. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of melted chocolate over each caramel/pecan cluster. Make a small swirl on the top of each chocolate with your spoon.
- Set aside and allow chocolate to set/solidify. This will take 2-3 hours, depending on the heat and humidity in your house.
- Carefully remove from parchment paper and store in an airtight container lined with a layer of parchment for up to 5 days.
Notes
How to Store Turtle Candies
Your homemade turtles will stay fresh and delicious for up to 5 days when stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Set them on layers of parchment paper or put each turtle in a cupcake liner before storing so they don’t have a chance to stick together.
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh, soft caramels for this recipe. Kraft caramel squares work best and will give the most consistent results. They are designed to be cooked, so they’ll soften in the oven but not get too hard at the end.
- Make sure the package of caramels you use is fresh. Don’t use caramels that have been hanging out in your pantry for 6+ months. They’ll be way too hard and the recipe will not turn out. (TRUST me on this!)
- After you’ve spooned on the chocolate, sprinkle a little coarse sea salt on top of the candies for a delicious variation. (I HIGHLY recommend doing this!)
- If you’re in a hurry, you can place the turtles in the refrigerator for 1 hour to set faster. Bring them back to room temperature before serving, storing, or enjoying.
- Homemade chocolate turtles make great gifts for the chocolate lover on your list. Packaging them in small treat boxes, cellophane bags, or tins makes them feel extra special.
Gift Packaging Ideas
Small Treat Boxes (Holds 2 pieces)
Buy Now →
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Want More Edible, Homemade Gift Ideas?
Love giving homemade gifts at Christmas? My Peppermint Bark recipe is super quick and easy for holiday gift giving, along with my classic hot cocoa mix and peppermint hot cocoa mix.
Want something more customized? Creating a cocktail-themed gift basket, or a cocktail kit or mocktail kit are all great ways to give a super unique present. Or make a quick batch of simple syrup and pour it into a pretty bottle for an easy and thoughtful DIY gift.
FAQs and Substitutions
The coconut oil is optional, but will make the chocolate come out nice and shiny. If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, just leave it out.
You can use any combination of chocolate chips in this recipe. Using all semi-sweet chocolate chips will create a dark chocolate turtle. A combination of milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips is also nice for these pecan turtles.
If you don’t like pecans, try whole cashews or large pieces of walnuts instead.
Don’t Miss These Sweet Treats
Want more homemade sweets? This snickerdoodle popcorn is a cinnamon twist on classic kettle corn that comes together in minutes. Or try my cranberry shortbread cookies, a buttery, crispy, slice-and-bake cookie. Want something fresh? Try these Strawberry Bites with Cream Cheese or Mini Apple Pie Bites.
Would it easier and faster to use the Ghardeli melting chocolate wafers? I have melted them and used on almond biscotti.
I use the Ghirardelli chocolate wafers interchangeably with the chocolate chips for this recipe. Both will get you the same result of delicious chocolate to coat the caramel and pecans.
Can I freeze these
I wouldn’t freeze them. While it wouldn’t impact the flavor, freezing could make the chocolate lose its shine and/or leave it looking spotty.
Does it have to be coconut oil for the pecan turtles
Yes. If you don’t have coconut oil, you can just leave it out. It helps make the chocolate a little more shiny when it hardens, but isn’t essential to the recipe. Don’t substitute other oils for the coconut oil as those don’t harden the same way when at room temp.
These are easy and take very little time or effort. They are delicious and disappear way too quickly.
A batch doesn’t last very long for me either! 😆
Could I use Werthers soft caramels instead of Kraft caramels?
I haven’t tried that brand myself, but others have and reported back that it doesn’t work because Werthers soft caramels don’t set back up well after you melt them. The Kraft ones do a great job of this, so that’s what I recommend.
I just read a comment on a grocery store website that these caramels have shrunk in size to 1/2 inch square. Have you found this to be true and are they difficult to unwrap? If this is true, I’m not sure one caramel per piece of candy is sufficient. Will appreciate your response.
I remember making these turtles way back in the 1950’s and would like to make them again for Christmas.
Thank you for telling me this! I hadn’t heard! In 2024 they were still the same size. I haven’t made them yet in 2025, but will buy a bag, make the recipe, and adjust the recipe as needed ASAP!
After buying bags at multiple stores here in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, the caramels are still the same size as they were in previous years so they should continue to work well in this recipe. The exact caramels I use here are Kraft caramels, individually wrapped, in 11 oz bags. The serving size is 4 caramels for 33g, which is 8.25g per caramel. Personally, I don’t find them difficult to unwrap. Since I don’t use an entire bag of caramels for this recipe, I like using the individually wrapped ones so I can easily save any leftovers. Hope this helps!
How best to store these for 2-3 weeks?
I don’t recommend storing these for that long. I make them no more than 1 week before I’m going to eat/serve/gift them to ensure they’re still fresh. Just like an unwrapped Kraft caramel will harden up if left out for 2-3 weeks, the caramel in these will do the same.
I use to have a similar recipe. Can you use the coconut oil in the liquid form?
The only coconut oil I’ve ever used in this recipe is a solid at room temperature. Which is what we want as it needs to harden up alongside the chocolate chips when the candy cools. It’s very likely that coconut oil that’s liquid at room temperature won’t set up and harden correctly.
You don’t tell us how much coconut oil to add. 🙁
The exact amount is listed in the recipe card on the page: https://mittengirl.com/pecan-turtles/#recipe