Turtle Fudge and a Giveaway!
An easy chocolate fudge recipe with a caramel center and chopped pecans. Everyone will love this Turtle Fudge!
I have to make a confession. Growing up, I absolutely hated any kind of nuts in my desserts. My parents on the other hand? They absolutely loved them.
Every year my dad would make a huge batch of his favorite fudge. You know the recipe on the back of the marshmallow fluff jars? He also loved adding chopped pecans to the fudge, but since he was a nice dad he would always leave them out of half of the fudge for me.
Fast forward several years and I’ve really grown to love them. I actually snack on almonds at work and even enjoy pecans in my fudge, especially in this easy turtle fudge.
Since I wanted to keep this recipe on the easier side, I used my favorite easy fudge recipe. All you need is just three cups of semisweet chocolate chips, one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, and two tablespoons of butter. You’ll add all three to a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until the mixture is smooth, then throw in some chopped pecans.
For the caramel center, I used caramel candies with a little heavy cream. Just toss them into a bowl with your heavy cream and microwave it in 20-30 second increments, stirring well after each one, until the mixture is melted and smooth.
Then comes the layering part! Add half of the fudge to your prepared baking pan, followed by all of the caramel, then the remaining fudge on top. Spread it all out evenly, then pop it in the refrigerator for a few hours until it’s solid and can easily be cut into squares.
The caramel will soften a bit at room temperature, so I suggest storing them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it. Not that there’s anything wrong with a gooey caramel center. Am I right?
Turtle Fudge
Ingredients
- 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 30 soft caramel candies unwrapped
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Line an 8x8 baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure to leave some overhang for easy removal. Lightly grease the sides of the foil in the pan (to prevent the caramel from sticking to the foil) and set aside.
- Add the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter to a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring well until the mixture is completely smooth. Add in the chopped pecans and stir until fully combined. Set aside.
- Add the caramel candies and heavy cream to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring well after each increment, until the mixture is melted and smooth.
- Add half of the fudge to the prepared baking pan and smooth it out. Add all of the caramel on top and evenly distribute it on top of the fudge. Add the remaining half of the fudge and spread it out evenly over the caramel.
- Transfer fudge to the refrigerator for 3-4 hours (or overnight) or until the fudge is solid enough to cut into squares. Cut into small pieces and enjoy!
Notes
More easy fudge recipes!
*This giveaway is now closed*
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Made this for my family. It’s a jazzed up caramel-in-the-middle version of my fav fudge recipe, so it was super easy for me. I toasted pecans for the top, and this recipe was a big hit!! Lots of rave reviews and my adult son said it needs a permanent place in my Christmas baking lineup!
Good afternoon,
Just came across this recipe and would love to try it for Christmas. Can you make this turtle fudge and freeze it? If so how will it thaw? Will the caramels run out when thawed?
Thank you
Karen
Yes, absolutely! As long as you thaw it and store it in the refrigerator, the caramel layer should hold up just fine.
Yum! I am including this in a fudge recipe round up in celebration of National Fudge Day!
Thank you for sharing, Alexandra!
I saw previous comments that the caramel with soften if not refrigerated. I’m flying back home for Christmas and was going to bring the turtle fudge with me – do you think it will withstand a long travel day, or will the caramel all melt and make a mess..?
Hi, Holli! Because of the caramel, I don’t think it would travel too well without being refrigerated.
Yes, this Carmel oozes all over the place even if refrigerated. It ALL settles in the bottom of the pan and it’s impossible to cut and eat. Very frustrating. IT tastes wonderful though. I cut them into small squares to put in candy cups and by morning all of the Carmel oozed out sticking to the cups! So, I emptied all the fudge (nuts, carmel and all) into a double boiler, mixed and melted it all down again and spread in an 9 x 9 pan, cooled it and it was PERFECT!!! BTW – I followed the recipe to the T – but the carmel never solidified. Perhaps leaving out the liquid is the answer.
Sorry to hear you had trouble with the fudge, Linda. It’s really important to make sure to keep the fudge refrigerated at all times, otherwise, the caramel can soften and get a bit messy. You can also try leaving out the heavy cream next time and see if that helps. I’m glad you were able to make it work though!
My fudge did the same thing. It looked great and I was excited but after cutting it and storing it, all the caramel was sitting in the bottom of the container. And it has been refrigerated the whole time.
Sorry to hear that, Diane. I haven’t had this happen before when I make this fudge. Did you spread the bottom layer of fudge all the way to the edges of the pan? And it may help to allow the caramel to cool slightly and thicken some before adding the top layer of fudge.
I am so excited to see this recipe. I have been trying to make to make a turtle fudge and this recipe is perfect!! Love pecans now but like you never enjoyed them when I was young.
Hope you enjoy the turtle fudge, Lenore!
I love fudge for a nice valentines gift, now Injust have to figure out which one to try. I think I’ll try the turtle one. Thanks!
Hope you enjoy the recipe, Amy! 🙂
Ok I’m worried about putting the top layer of fudge onto the gooey caramel. I think it will Displace The caramel or mix in? Going to try to refrigerate before putting on the final layer
Hope it works!
I was worried about the same thing the first time I made this fudge, Gina. I scoop out the fudge in different spots on the top of the caramel and gently smooth it out into one layer. But I think refrigerating the caramel first before you add the top layer will work fine too. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
You have to keep this fudge refrigerated or it will ooze all over and get messy
Why only grease sides of pan??? You meant whole pan, right??
The chocolate fudge won’t stick to the foil, so it’s not necessary to grease the whole pan. But the caramel in the center does stick to the sides some, so I just lightly spray the sides with non-stick cooking spray so it comes out easier.
This fudge looks amazing!! I wish I could have 3-4 pieces right now. Love that gooey caramel!!
I’d happily share it with you, Cyndi! Thank you 🙂
This fudge looks delicious, Danielle! Love the gooey layer of caramel. I would devour the entire batch of this fudge!
Thank you, Jess!
That caramel center, Danielle… YUM! And I’ve always loved nuts, though with age I’ve probably become a real nut-maniac, so this fudge looks absolutely perfect to me!
I kind of feel like I missed out as a kid now! Thanks, Nora 🙂
This fudge looks incredible! That gooey caramel seeping out has me drooling!
Man oh man, I rushed over here from Instagram because that fudge is the bees knees! That ooze of caramel has me weak at the knees – it’s genius!
Thank you for the kind comment, Jessica!
Youre so smart to make a turtle inspired fudge — this looks irresistible with all these layers! I love this fudge, Danielle!
I actually had turtle fudge on my Christmas baking list, but never got around to searching for a recipe- now I’m done! Can’t wait to try 🙂 Pinning!
Yay! Thanks, Medha!
This is my kind of fudge!! That gooey caramel center is calling my name, and I adore nuts in my desserts, especially pecans, so this is calling my name 🙂 pinned!
Whoa whoa whoa!! This fudge looks incredible! I love the caramel oozing out! It looks so decadent!
Oh my gosh – my grandmother used to keep turtle candies around so this is such a great memory – never had them in fudge, though! Perfect for the holidays. 🙂
Same! I’ve never preferred nuts in my baked goods and sweet treats. I prefer them nut-free. But I’ve grown to at least handle them a little better since I’ve gotten older. I like pistachios in some baked goods. 🙂
Maybe it’s a kid thing haha? I do love pistachios too!
I still hate nuts in desserts, although I can eat them in candy bars! This fudge looks delicious! I think the combination of nuts and caramel set this treat apart and I know it would be devoured in no time!
I do love them in candy bars too! Thanks, Gayle 🙂