Pretzel Turtles

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This simple recipe for pretzel turtles combines chocolate, caramel, and pretzels with pecans! They’re perfect for the holidays or for snacking anytime.

Homemade candy is my guilty pleasure! If you like these pretzel turtles, you’ll also like my Take 5 candy bites, Cheez-It Butterfinger bites, homemade Payday bites, and rolo Twix bites!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Sweet, salty, and incredibly delicious, these homemade pretzel turtles are the perfect combination of flavors. Turtles are a classic found at most chocolate stores, but they’re super easy to make at home too!

I love a recipe that looks impressive but barely requires any effort to make and these pretzel turtles are just that! Making candy at home can be intimidating, but this recipe is a great one for beginners. Only 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time makes these perfect for nearly any occasion, including parties and the holiday season!

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Tiny Tony’s milk chocolate coins- Dove promises would work as well
• Mini pretzel twists
• Individually wrapped baking caramels
• Pecan halves

Make this Christmas classic at home with this simple recipe! The familiar combination of caramel, chocolate, and pecans has been around for generations, but the addition of a crisp, salty pretzel twist is makes these pretzel turtle candies extra special!

Unlike other turtle cluster recipes, there is no need to melt the chocolate separately here! The individually portioned chocolate coins will naturally melt into perfectly round puddles while the caramels are softening in the oven. This means less steps, less dishes, and less room for error during the holiday baking season!

How to make the best pretzel turtles:

• Preheat your oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Evenly space out the chocolate coins on your prepared baking sheet, then top each piece of chocolate with a pretzel twist.
• Place a caramel square on top of each pretzel, then bake for 12 minutes to melt the chocolate and soften the caramels.
• Immediately press a pecan on top of each caramel square, then transfer to the fridge to set the chocolate before enjoying.

If you’re a fan of sweet and salty combinations, then you’ll love these pretzel turtle candies! A crisp and salty pretzel gets layered with gooey caramel, chocolate, and topped with a crunchy pecan! They’re the ultimate crunchy, chewy, sweet, and salty candy. Sweet from the caramel and chocolate, salty from the pretzels, and oh-so delicious!

Simple enough to whip up day of or make in advance! They’re easily portable when you want to share, and this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. No matter the time of year, these crunchy, sweet, and salty pretzel turtles are in season. You’re going to love them, and so will everyone else!

My top tips:

• CHOCOLATE COINS: If you can’t find the tiny Tony’s milk chocolate coins near you, Dove milk chocolate promises would be a great substitute here!
• STACKING: It’s important that the pretzels twists and caramels are centered on top of the chocolate so that as everything melts and softens in the oven, the layers remain stacked.
• CARAMELS: I like using Kraft baking caramels for recipes like this because they’re the perfect shape and widely available. Werther’s soft caramels would also work here!
• PECANS: It’s important to press the pecans onto these pretzel turtles immediately out of the oven, while the caramels are still soft. If you try to add them once the caramels are cool, the pecans will not stick.
• COOLING: I I recommend placing these turtles in the fridge rather than the freezer to set the chocolate. The fridge does take a little longer to chill the chocolate compared to the freezer, but it prevents the caramels from becoming frozen/too hard to bite into.
• STORING: Let these pretzel turtles cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container and storing at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. If you store in the fridge, remove from the fridge, and let thaw for a few minutes to soften the caramel before enjoying.

Looking for more easy treats? Try these out!

• Cinnamon Roll Pretzels
• Candy Cane Truffles
• Rolo Ritz Cookies
• No Bake Peanut Butter Blossoms
• Cookie Dough Bark
• Cherry Pie Cookie Cups
• Butter Toffee Pretzels
• Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn

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