Pretzel Turtles

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on Last updated

15 Comments

5 from 6 votes
48 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Resting Time 15 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
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Pretzel Turtles are a sweet and salty caramel treat that’s incredibly EASY to make in just a few minutes with only 3 ingredients!

We love all things Christmas in December, and this week we are making our favorite recipes like these Award Winning Gingerbread Cookies and Slow Cooker Chocolate Peanut Candy.

Pretzel TurtlesPRETZEL TURTLES

Pretzel Turtles are the PERFECT quick and easy treat made with pretzels, Rolo chocolate caramels, and pecans. They’re crunchy, salty, sweet, and loaded with chocolate and caramel flavor. These are a lot like your traditional turtle candy, but with a twist!

I make these for almost any holiday party we throw and put them in little goodie bags because they’re super simple to make, and always get rave reviews. Technically you’re supposed to wait for the chocolate to harden again once it cools off before serving, but I won’t fault you if you eat one while it’s gooey and warm. They’re also really kid-friendly, they’ll have a blast adding the candies on top of the pretzels!

HOW LONG DO YOU BAKE PRETZELS WITH ROLOS?

Pretzel turtles only have to be baked long enough to melt the chocolate, so 2-3 minutes should be good. If your candy isn’t melting quickly enough, add another minute or two. Also remember that you’re going to press the melted chocolate down with a pecan, so don’t worry if it’s not completely flattened.

Rolo candies on pretzels

You can see how easy it is to make a huge quantity of these desserts. Plus with a bag of pretzels, a couple of bags of rolo and a pound of pecan halves you can make a couple hundred of these bites and give them out to your neighbors, to your kid’s teachers, to friends and family and more.

I love topping mine with some sea salt too, but to keep these traditional I skipped that here.

Pretzel Turtles still warm

CAN I MAKE PRETZEL TURTLES IN THE MICROWAVE?

You can make these in the microwave, but it takes a longer time because you’re going to have to work in batches. Fit as many pretzels as you can on a plate, and microwave for 20-30 seconds, or until you can press the pecan down on the Rolo and it flattens easily.

HOW DO YOU STORE PRETZEL TURTLES?

Store pretzel turtles at room temperature or in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for several weeks. Place a piece of parchment paper between each layer so they don’t stick together.

Keep them out of warm places, like next to a window in sunlight, to avoid the chocolate melting. You can also freeze for 2-3 months if you want to make them ahead of time.

MORE TURTLE PRETZEL IDEAS

  • Instead of pecans, try using peanut M&Ms, mini marshmallows, butterscotch, peanut butter, or caramel with flaky salt on top.
  • For a holiday version, top with a mini marshmallow and melted chocolate with peppermint extract, then top with a pecan and crushed candy cane pieces.
  • If you don’t have Rolos, you can use a whole caramel candy and a teaspoon of melted chocolate or a chocolate kiss on top.
  • I also love making really good quality salted caramels that I dip in bittersweet chocolate and top with flaky sea salt (recipe coming soon). I would melt those on a pretzel then top with a pecan and a second pretzel for a pretzel turtle sandwich as the homemade caramels are much softer and creamier.
  • Try hazelnuts or almonds instead of pecans for a different flavor.

TIPS FOR MAKING PRETZELS turtles

  • You can decorate pretzel turtles with a drizzle of melted chocolate (white or dark) or caramel sauce.
  • For a different flavor you can toast your pecans first, or try making pretzel turtles with my Slow Cooker Candied Cinnamon Pecans.
  • Make sure you press your pecans into the candy right away, while they’re still soft enough to stick.
  • If you want your candy to set faster, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes before serving.
  • Add these to a decorative tin to give away as holiday gifts!

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Turtles

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Dinner, then Dessert

Turtle Pretzels

Pretzel Turtles are a sweet and salty caramel treat that's incredibly EASY to make in just a few minutes with only 3 ingredients!
Yield 48 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Pretzel Turtles
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
  • Line the pretzel snaps up on a baking sheet, then top with the rolo chocolates and melt in the oven for 3 minutes before topping each one with a pecan half and letting harden completely before serving.

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 41kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 18mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. These are an amazingly easy candy. I love them. Great for gift giving. I actually made some recently for a Friendsgiving dinner party but topped them with my candied pecans. DELISH!

    Reply

  2. Made these today – so easy! There weren’t any Rolos at the store so I substituted Hershey kisses w/ caramel. I’m giving some away as gifts. Happy Holidays ?

    Reply

  7. We have made these with plain chocolate, but this turtle version is a game changer! Bring on that caramel.

    Reply

  8. Thank you for all of your tips. They’re so good. I was going to give some away but my family has already claimed them, lol. Guess I need to make another batch!

    Reply