Most of my Christmas treat memories centre around my mother’s holiday baking. The few store boughten items never stood a chance against the seasoned pro in my childhood kitchen. The only two exceptions were After Eight mints and Turtles chocolates. Mmm, Turtles. Pecan, caramel AND chocolate, who could ask for more? The answer is ‘me’, I can ask for more.
When I saw the recipe on Vegetarian with Benefits I knew I had to try my hand at making these iconic treats myself. I had no intention of adding bacon till I was simultaneously making the caramel while frying some bacon for a bacon and tomato sandwich for lunch. Just like what seems like every other human being on the planet has started thinking recently, I thought, “bacon goes great with chocolate.” Turns out the masses are not wrong.
These little guys are everything a turtle should be. They’re sweet and chewy from the caramel, crunchy and rich from the roasted pecans and decadent from the dark chocolate, plus (a big plus) they’re salty and savoury from the bacon. Oh and the sea salt sprinkled on top sends them over the edge.
Do make these, but make a lot. They won’t last long.
- 1 cup butter
- 1 tin condensed milk
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 8 oz semisweet chocolate
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¾ pound pecan halves (Nina said she buys 2 – 1pound bags of pecans, since some of the pecans are broken. I just happened to have a bunch in my freezer)
- A half pound of bacon, cooked crispy
- Caramel: Mix the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and condensed milk in a heavy saucepan. Start with heat on high until boiling, then reduce to medium. Stir constantly for approximately 15 minutes or until softball stage in cold water (a candy thermometer makes this much easier!). Let it cool for about an hour. It should still be warm, just be careful it is not too hot.
- Chocolate: Gently melt chocolate and butter over low heat until just melted. Be careful not to burn the chocolate
- Assemble the turtles: Arrange pecans to resemble turtles – one for the head and two for the feet – on parchment paper. Roll small balls of caramel and place on center of pecans, squishing gently into place. Cover caramel with a piece of cooked bacon. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes. Hold turtle by the head and spoon the chocolate over top. Place back onto parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with medium course sea salt. Put back into the fridge to harden the chocolate
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
These look awesome! Definitely making these for New Years Eve!
Hey Jey,
They’re perfect for a New Year’s party! Let me know how you like them
YUM, these look awesome! I’ve topped caramels with bits of bacon before dipping them in chocolate, and they were fantastic.
Carey,
It’s amazing how bacon really does make everything better!
Kristen these look so so so so good. I seriously cannot wait to make them. Thanks miss!
No problem, Adriana! Let me know how you like them when you make them
Wow, those look great! Nice idea with the bacon, I know a lot of non-vegetarians that would be interested in that.
Hey Nina,
I was veggie for a lot of years. Although I still eat that way most of the time, I blame bacon for reintroducing me to meat