Turtle Candy

tThese sweet and salty, three-ingredient candies are made from pretzels, Rolos, and pecans. This delicious Turtle Candy can be ready in about 15 minutes and makes such a great holiday treat or snack. 

Can’t get enough caramel, chocolate, and pecans? Try this Turtle Bark or these Sugar Cookie Turtle Pudding Cups.

The Best Turtle Candy

Turtle candies, a yummy treat created in the early 1900s, combine caramel, chocolate, and usually pecans. They got their name because they originally looked like turtles. There are various methods to make them, including using homemade caramel.

Today, I’m excited to share our preferred, easy recipe. They’re not only delicious but also simple to make, requiring minimal effort. With just three ingredients, Turtle Candy is a quick and easy option for a last-minute dessert or snack when you’re pressed for time. We love this treat so much we’ve made several seasonal variations like these Leprechaun Thumbprints, Easter Pretzels, Peppermint Bark Pretzels, Valentine Pretzels, Monster Eyeballs, or these Thanksgiving Treats.

Ingredients In Turtle Candy

• Pretzels add crunch and a salty taste that balances out the sweetness.
• Rolos or chocolate-caramel candies provide sweetness and soften in the oven to stick the pecan to the pretzel.
• Pecan halves bring a nutty flavor and crunch, making the candy look like a turtle. Use extra pecans in this Candied Pecans Recipe.
• Optional sea salt flakes enhance all the flavors, especially the sweetness and nuttiness.

How To Make Turtle Candy

1. Arrange pretzels (twists or snaps) on a tray.
2. Place an unwrapped Rolo in the center of each pretzel.
3. Bake for 2-3 minutes until the Rolos soften.
4. Gently press a toasted pecan half on top of each Rolo. 
5. Lightly press the Rolo to spread it over the pretzel. Enjoy your turtle candy!

Tips For Success

• Toast pecans for extra flavor (optional). Read more about why we suggest toasted pecans here.
• Use parchment paper or a Silpat liner on pans for easy turtle candy removal.
• Quickly press in pecans before the Rolos harden.

More Holiday Treats

• Chocolate Cookie Recipe
• Reindeer Chow
• Christmas Snack Mix
• Santa Cookies
• White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

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5 from 3 votes

Turtle Candy

By Chelsea Lords

Sweet and salty, three-ingredient candies made from pretzels, Rolos, and pecans. This delicious Turtle Candy can be ready in about 15 minutes and makes such a great holiday treat or snack. 

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes

Total Time: 13 minutes minutes

Servings: 25 turtles

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 25 twist or snap pretzels
• ▢ 25 Rolos or other chocolate-caramel candy
• ▢ 25 pecan halves (Note 1)
• ▢ Optional: sea salt flakes

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If desired, toast the pecans (See Note 1).
• Line a tray with parchment paper or a Silpat liner and place the pretzels on the tray.
• Unwrap the Rolos and place on the pretzels.
• Bake for 2-3 minutes (See Note 2) or until the Rolos are soft but not melted.
• Press the fully cooled pecan halves into the center of the Rolos right out of the oven. Press gently to cover the pretzel with the Rolo. If desired, sprinkle with sea salt flakes while the chocolate is still warm.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Toasting nuts: To toast nuts, simply spread the pecans in a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown, stirring about halfway through. Generally, nuts will take 6-10 minutes to toast. Watch them carefully; nuts can go from toasted to burned very quickly. Make sure to let the pecans cool completely before adding them to the candy.

Note 2: Chocolate: If the chocolate is crumbling, it means the oven was too hot or the chocolate was baked too long. I would recommend trying one Turtle at first to test. If it crumbles, reduce the baking time for the rest. Do not use convection oven settings.

Nutrition

Serving: 25turtles | Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.3g | Protein: 1.2g | Fat: 3.7g | Cholesterol: 0.7mg | Sodium: 85.7mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 4.1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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