Turtle Fudge, or Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge, is a delicious holiday sweet. But who says you can’t enjoy it year-round? I certainly do!

This Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge is delicious, easy to make, and a great way to spend a cold winter day! It also makes the perfect holiday gift for your friends and family.

two pieces of turtle fudge stacked on top of each other.

For those of you who don’t typically enjoy chocolate, this Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge might change your opinion.

My husband was caught eating from the container and only consuming the chocolate parts while discarding the caramel {SHOCKER}; my kids almost lost it on him. They quickly told on him, which makes me so proud. No one should ever waste caramel like that.

This Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge is both rich and decadent, with a single layer of gooey caramel in the center. Not only is the recipe tasty, but it’s also easy to make; The entire process takes less than fifteen minutes!

Overhead photo of pieces of caramel chocolate fudge.

Fudge is an excellent present to give during the holidays. Local candy shops and online stores are notorious for overcharging customers, sometimes as much as $16-20 per pound! You can make a whole batch of fudge at home for less than half that price – and chances are you already have most of the ingredients in your pantry.

Ingredients for Turtle Fudge

  • Caramel candy
  • Heavy cream or evaporated milk
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Sea salt
  • Vanilla extract
  • Chopped pecans

How do you make Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge?

While it’s true that some fudge recipes are more complicated than others, leading many of us to believe that we could never make it ourselves, this recipe is different. I guarantee you can make this fudge, which won’t be messy. If I can do it, so can you.

Line a 9×9 or 8×8 baking dish with parchment or wax paper. 

Combine caramels and heavy cream in a medium, microwave-safe mixing bowl, stirring in between, and heat in 30-second intervals until completely melted and smooth.

Combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and salt in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until completely melted and smooth. Stir in pecans and vanilla.

Pour half of the fudge mixture into the prepared pan. Pour the caramel over the fudge layer. Pour half the fudge over the caramel and swirl gently with a knife. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

a stack of three pieces of fudge.

How long does homemade fudge last?

  • Fudge kept in an airtight container at room temperature will last for one to two weeks.
  • Refrigerating fudge can extend its shelf life to two to three weeks.

Make this Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge for your loved ones this holiday season! It makes for the perfect gift, goody tray addition, or festive snack.

More delicious holiday candies

Peanut Brittle 
English Toffee
Peanut Butter Toffee Bark
Homemade Peppermint Patties
Snowflake Peppermint Bark

Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge with bite taken out of it.

More Easy Fudge Recipes

Don’t forget to pin this Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge recipe to your favorite Pinterest board to make for later.

Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 377 kcal
Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge is traditionally known as Turtle Fudge. It’s one of my favorite sweet treats; it doesn’t have to be the holidays to enjoy this.
CARAMEL PECAN TURTLE FUDGE - traditionally known as Turtle Fudge it' one of my favorite sweet treats; it doesn't have to the holidays for me to enjoy this.

Ingredients
 

  • 14 ounces caramel pieces I use Kraft Caramels
  • 1 heaping tablespoon heavy cream evaporated milk also works
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 ounces
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions
 

  • Line a 9×9 or 8×8 (for thicker fudge) baking dish with parchment or wax paper. If you don’t have that just grease your pan; set aside.
  • Combine caramels (unwrapped) and heavy cream in a medium, microwave safe mixing bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
  • Combined chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and salt in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until completely melted and smooth.  
  • Stir in pecans and vanilla.
  • Pour half of the fudge mixture into the prepared pan.
  • Pour the caramel over the fudge layer.
  • Pour remaining half of fudge over the caramel, swirl gently with a knife.
  • Cover and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Chef In Training.
Calories: 377kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 5gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 130mgPotassium: 314mgFiber: 2gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 95IUVitamin C: 0.8mgCalcium: 126mgIron: 1.8mg
CARAMEL PECAN TURTLE FUDGE - traditionally known as Turtle Fudge it' one of my favorite sweet treats; it doesn't have to the holidays for me to enjoy this.
Tried this recipe?Let us know what you think!

Post was recently updated from original post date of December 2013.

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52 Comments

  1. Wow! I saw your Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge on Tasty Tuesdays and had to check it out, it looks amazing! All my favorite things in one bite!

    Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    Hugs,
    Heather
    MySweetMission.net

    1. I have never substituted dulce d leche in this recipe, so not sure how it would turn it. If you give this a try, let me know what you find. I may just end up trying this myself too.

      1. This sounds really good. I love turtle anything. I do believe I would make my own caramel over using purchased caramels. I feel home made tastes much better.

  2. I saw this on Twitter just now — and holy cow! I gained 3 pounds just reading about this fudge.

    Turtles are my favorite sweet treat so I’m going to make this. Like right now.

    In the directions, you asked how long would this fudge last. Not long. Not long at all! Like maybe 5 minutes after it sets up. If that.

    I invite you to share this at my Party in Your PJs link party that starts on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). And, feel free to share other awesome links, too.

        1. It sounds like maybe the caramel was overheated which is why it’s too hard. Try stirring in between heating to be sure it heats evenly and it should melt faster.

  3. About to make this fudge for Christmas gifts! Quick question- what size pan did you use for the fudge in the photos? 9×9 or 8×8? The thickness looks perfect.

  4. 5 stars
    I made it! It was easy. I followed directions and it came out perfectly. So delicious. Great recipe. I can’t wait for family to try. Thanks

    1. I haven’t, but I think that would be an easy change. The one thing I would look for is Werther’s Original Chewy Caramels in the candy aisle.

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