20-Min Homemade Turtles Candy

Homemade turtles are so easy to make, once you get the hang of it, you won’t be able to stop making them!

I remember the first time I had a “turtle.” I remember being a hardcore candy bar fan and being taken aback by the unexpected deliciousness of these unknown little mounds of tasty. Chocolate outer with gooey caramel center? Extra bonus points for that nutty crunch? Why did nobody tell me?!

The combo is such a simple swipe of genius I couldn’t believe it took me so long to try and obsess over. I was living under a rock, apparently. No, no in a turtle shell!! I was living in some sort of turtle shell!! Bahh you get what I’m saying 🙂 

Here’s what I like about turtles. As you eat them, the caramel gets on your fingers. Then, when you’re all bummed out that the turtle is gone and your fleeting chocolate bliss has ended, you get to lick the caramel off your fingers as if a tasty little encore to ease you into dessert doneness.

You don’t need to be an expert candy maker to make these beauts. Trust me, I am not. Anybody can make these!! I purposefully made these without any extra fancy stuff. No candy thermometer. No molds (though totally welcome if you want them to be nice and tidy). Anyone can make these and I can’t urge you enough to DO it.

If you love homemade candy, try these Homemade Snickers Bars, Chocolate Quinoa Crisps, and Homemade Vegan Twix Bars.

Ingredients for Homemade Turtles:

• coconut cream
• coconut sugar
• vanilla
• salt
• chocolate chips
• refined coconut oil
• whole pecans

How to Make Homemade Candy Turtles:

Make the Caramel

First, make your caramel. This is something you want to make a few hours in advance, though if you can make it the day before, even better!

Pour the coconut cream and coconut sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk frequently until it thickens, about 10 – 15 minutes. Once it’s thickened, reduce the heat to low and add the vanilla, and sea salt. Whisk to combine.

Once nice and combined, remove from heat and allow it to come to room temperature.

Once cool, place in an airtight container in the fridge for 3+ hours. If you can leave the caramel for 12 – 24 hours, even better!

Make the turtles

Heat the chocolate chips for a minute in the microwave. For a tutorial, check out my post for How to Melt Chocolate Chips. Add the coconut oil and continue to stir until the chocolate is smooth and creamy.

Depending on your microwave, you may need to heat the chocolate for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, make 12 chocolate circles about the size of a POG. Remember those?! For those of you that don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, make the circles about 3 inches across. Pop in the freezer for a couple minutes for the chocolate to harden.

Then, use a spoon to outline the chocolate circles with more chocolate and place it in the freezer to harden for a minute. This “outline” will create a nice wall so that the caramel won’t pour out the sides. Repeat the outline one more time and place it in the freezer to harden for a minute.

Add a scoop of caramel to the center of the chocolate. Top with a pecan. Spoon the chocolate onto the top to cover the caramel and pecan. Though, you could probably just eat them without the chocolate topping.

Pop them in the freezer for another minute or two to set the top chocolate. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat!

These are so tasty, enjoy!! xo

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