Remember that popular Christmas confection weirdly named Turtles? Here’s a copycat version that’s just as good (or better!) than the original!!

Turtles, turtles, ra, ra, ra! Sorry; I can only think of that little jingle associated with the television commercial for Turtles Chocolates whenever I’m in close proximity of this Turtle Chocolate Fudge.
And, when that jingle is not in my head, I always think of my ex wife’s mom, Rosie. She LOVED Turtles Chocolates – like, completely adored them!
When I found this recipe a few weeks back, I knew I needed to make them and share them with you and my workmates. We have a Christmas potluck coming up in a few days at the office, and I self-assigned myself to provide the desserts. I’m sure this Turtle Chocolate Fudge will be a hit, but I’m also bringing Christmas Chocolate Truffles, Glace Cherry Shortbread, Gingerbread Bundt Cake, and Candy Cane Cookie Bars. I’m sure that selection will satisfy everyone’s tastes.
At this point, I’m hoping that the Turtle Chocolate Fudge will last long enough to make its appearance at the potluck. Every time my back is turned, a piece or two seems to disappear. I’m not sure who’s eating it, because John.e or McKenna would never do that! (Insert eye roll here!) Maybe it’s the cats; maybe Jake and Maggie have a sweet tooth.
I love how much this fudge stays true to the original Turtle Chocolate. The gooey consistency of the caramel is deliciously awesome, yet it’s not too sweet. All caramel tends to be a little too sweet for my personal taste, but this one just seems to hit the right sugar note.
The fudgy bottom of the truffle, in truth, can be made on its own. It’s really that good! In fact, now that I think about it, you could leave the caramel off completely and just make a pecan chocolate fudge. That’s an idea I’ll write in my recipe idea book for later use. (Yes, I have a note book that’s dedicated to recipe ideas. Whenever I’m stumped, I can flip through for inspiration. It’s not weird.)
I’m going to go package up what’s left of the fudge now for the potluck. Then, I’ll tuck it away at the back of the fridge in an unflattering container so that ‘the cats’ can’t find it!
Turtle Chocolate Fudge
Pin Recipe Save Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk!)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
- 50 Kraft Caramels, unwrapped
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper; be sure the parchment paper comes up the sides of the pan for maximum coverage
- In a saucepan, on very low heat, melt the chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed milk and salt until smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and 1 ½ cups of the chopped pecans.
- Pour the fudge mixture into the prepared pan and using a rubber spatula, press the fudge into the pan; be sure to evenly spread the fudge over the surface of the pan, including the corners. Set aside.
- In a large stainless steel bowl, over a sauce pan of simmering water, heat the caramels and milk together until melted and smooth.
- Evenly smear the caramel over the top of the fudge.
- Top with the remaining chopped pecans.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.
- Keep fudge stored in the refrigerator to avoid melting.

Karyl | Karyl's Kulinary Krusade says
Oh my goodness these look so divine! Oh and your notebook idea is not weird at all…I write down all my recipe ideas too! Otherwise I can never remember them 🙂
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Karyl. 🙂
Katie Crenshaw says
My Mother-in-law loves turtles and this fudge looks amazing. I am going to make this for Christmas for her. YUM!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Katie. You’re mother in law will be very happy. 🙂
Jacinthe says
I’m in looooove!!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
LOL – thank you, Jacinthe!
Lori says
This looks and sounds wonderful! I was wondering how adding peanut butter to the fudge would alter the texture/firmness of the fudge? I was thinking of the trifecta, caramel, chocolate, peanut butter! Let me know your thoughts and how much peanut butter to add – can’t wait!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
That sounds delicious, Lori, but I’ve never tried it. I can’t comment on how the consistency would turn out.
Marcia says
Your recipe calls for condensed milk…what size can? I live in Mexico & it comes in a few sizes. Also, your recipe calls for unwrapped caramels…I assume you unwrap them…right! Sounds so great I want to make it ASAP. Thanks for sharing!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Marcia, it’s a 300mL sized can. 🙂
Vickie Baker says
This recipe looked so good – turtle chocolate fudge- what’s not to like, Right? Well, I am out the cost of all the ingredients, as well as my time, and the finished product had to go into the trash. I followed the recipe EXACTLY. I left the pan in the refridgerator overnight since I could see the suggestion of at least an hour was not going to work. The chocolate base never did firm up enough to be cut into bars. The only way it could have been eaten was with a spoon. I am so frustrated and disappointed. What a waste of ingredients.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
I’m so sorry this has happened, Vickie. If you have followed the recipe exactly, there’s really no reason this wouldn’t have turned out. Just one question about the base – did you use the 14 ounce can of condensed milk? I can only get one size here in Canada, to the best of my knowledge, but many of my readers from the US have pointed out that the can size is different – larger. This might account for the base issue.
Vickie Baker says
Actually, I used a 12 ounce can of milk (Carnation 12 ounce can). That is a common size in the U. S. I would think that would have made the chocolate mixture even thicker – at least that was my thinking when preparing the recipe. I am still not understanding the failure of of the recipe for me.
Carol says
I see this reply is a few years late, but I just happened across this recipe. I’ve made a lot of condensed milk & chocolate chip fudge, and the ratio here is what I always use. I’m pretty sure you must have used evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk. I’m always disturbed when people talk about dumping a “failure” in the garbage. Surely, it could have been used as topping for ice cream or over and slices of unfrosted cake.
Brenda says
It it 9:10 am and I just finished this recipe!!! It looked so good, I put a tablespoon of ase and caramel aside for coffee (2 servings) wonderful! Just an idea from an almost 78 yr young grandmother…birthday in 2 weeks. I toast all nuts for this type of recipe; in fact, I usually have plenty of roasted pecans and walnuts in my freezer. They make a wonderful snack when brought to room temperature.
Start with a half cup of peanut butter chips…add more if not as tasty as you would like.
If God let’s me live until I try even half of my saved recipes, I will be REALLY old!..LOL!
Happy holiday cooking and eating to all of you!