Homemade Turtles

Making candy yourself might seem intimidating, but our turtle recipe uses ingredients like sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, and light brown sugar to make a foolproof caramel. The chewy caramel gets stirred together with crunchy toasted pecans, covered in sweet chocolate, and finished with a sprinkle of flaky salt for the perfect combination of flavors and textures. This recipe comes together relatively quickly; in under two hours, you’ll have homemade candy you can be proud of sharing with friends and family. 

Ingredients for Homemade Turtles 

• Toasted pecan halves: The foundation for the turtle candies. Be sure to use the best pecans you can get, and don’t skip the toasting step. Toasting gives the nuts a warm flavor and crunchier texture, perfect for the candy. 
• Light brown sugar: Using light brown sugar instead of granulated gives our caramel a little more complex flavor. 
• Sweetened condensed milk: The sugar in the sweetened condensed milk will caramelize as it cooks (think dulce de leche), adding another layer of flavor to your homemade turtles. 
• Light corn syrup: Don’t be afraid of corn syrup! Using light corn syrup helps keep the caramel nice and chewy, and makes it less likely to crystalize and become gritty. 
• Melted unsalted butter: The butter also helps keep the caramel from crystalizing, and adds that buttery, smooth flavor you expect from a good, chewy caramel. 
• Kosher salt: Adding a little salt directly to the caramel gives that salty-sweet balance we love in a candy. 
• Vanilla extract: A touch of vanilla extract adds a little depth to the flavor of the caramel. 
• Baking soda: Adding baking soda at the end of the cooking process helps lighten up the texture of the caramel—the baking soda reacts with the acid in the caramel from the sugar and creates tiny bubbles. 
• Chopped semisweet chocolate: We like semisweet chocolate because it is the perfect middle ground–not too sweet, not too bitter. But you can use whatever kind of chocolate you prefer. Just be sure to use a good quality bar chocolate that you chop. Chocolate chips can be a little thick and difficult to work with when dipping the caramel-pecan discs. 
• Flake salt: This optional ingredient makes for a pretty finish and adds a little salty crunch to contrast the sweet caramel and chocolate.

Equipment for Making Homemade Turtles 

To prepare homemade turtles, you’ll need a few pieces of special equipment.

• First, and most important, you’ll need a candy thermometer. These thermometers clip to the side of your pan, making it easy to monitor the temperature of the candy as it cooks. It’s important to cook the caramel to the correct temperature so it has the right chewy texture. 
• You’ll also need a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Using a saucepan with a heavy bottom and thicker sides helps the caramel cook more evenly. 
• Finally, you’ll need baking sheets lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper helps keep the caramel from sticking to the pans as you form the caramel-pecan discs, and once you dip the caramels in chocolate, it helps the chocolate from making a mess and sticking to the sheets after it cools. 

How To Make Homemade Turtles

The full recipe for turtles is below, but here's a brief recap so you can understand the process before you get started:

• Step 1. Chop pecans: First, get your pans ready, and chop some of the pecans, leaving most of them whole. Have your spoons for forming the turtles nearby; once you stir in the nuts, you’ll need to work quickly to get the turtles shaped before they start to set. 
• Step 2. Cook the caramel: Combine the brown sugar, condensed milk, butter and salt in your medium saucepan. Clip on your candy thermometer, and bring everything to a boil, stirring constantly, until it reaches 240°F, which should be marked as the soft ball stage on your candy thermometer.
• Step 3. Add vanilla and baking soda: After it reaches the correct temperature, remove the caramel from heat, and stir in the vanilla and baking soda. Adding the vanilla after the caramel has been removed from the heat keeps the flavor from breaking down. Stirring in the baking soda at the end gives it a chance to react with the acid in the caramel, creating bubbles that lighten the texture of the caramel. 
• Step 4. Add pecans: As soon as you’ve stirred in the vanilla and baking soda, work quickly to stir in the pecans, and drop onto the prepared baking sheets in 2 tablespoon mounds. You’ll end up with about 12. Chill in the refrigerator until these are solid and no longer warm to the touch. 
• Step 5. Cover in chocolate: Finally, melt the chopped chocolate, and dip the cooled caramel discs in the chocolate to coat. Don’t worry about getting them perfectly smooth—the texture is part of the charm of homemade turtles. Quickly sprinkle with your flaky salt before the chocolate is set so it will stick. 

Homemade Turtles Make Great Gifts

Homemade turtles (or any homemade candy) are perfect for gifts. Keep them stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week (if they last that long). 

More Candy Recipes 

If you're making gifts for loved ones, or just treats for yourself, keep the candy factory churning with these recipes:

• Divinity Candy
• Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines
• Pulled Candy 
• Foolproof Brown Sugar Fudge
• Our Best Homemade Marshmallows 

Editorial contributions by Elizabeth Nelson.