Grandma Kathy’s Homemade Turtle Candy
Grandma Kathy's Homemade Turtle Candy ~ this vintage homemade chocolate candy recipe is straight from grandma's recipe box, it's the one she made throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s and it's still the best classic holiday candy around.
Servings: 24 turtles
Ingredients
- 96 pecan halves
- 10 ounces dark chocolate, I used a bag of Nestle Dark Chocolate Morsels
- 11 ounce bag of Kraft Caramels, unwrapped (the soft kind)
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp evaporated milk
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Put the pecans on an unlined baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
- Heat 1/2 the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove and stir. Microwave a further 15-30 seconds and stir again until melted and smooth.
- Drop small amounts of chocolate onto the prepared baking sheets and spread with your spoon to the size of quarters. Top with 4 pecan halves to form the turtle legs. (See photos)
- You can proceed to the next step immediately or put the tray in the freezer to firm up for 5 minutes.
- Melt the caramels, butter, and milk in the microwave. Start at one minute, stir, and if necessary heat in 15 seconds increments until smooth. I like to let the caramel cool a little to thicken up before proceeding.
- Add a small (about 1/2 tsp) dollop of caramel to the top of each turtle.
- Again, put the tray in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Melt the remaining chocolate and add a small amount to the top of each turtle, spreading it around to cover the caramel. I like to give the chocolate a little swirl flourish as I lift up my spoon. Put the tray in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- The turtles can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. These will freeze well for longer storage (put them in a heavy duty zip lock freezer bag.)