These Valentine’s Day Rolo Pretzel Turtles are an easy and fun treat to make with the kids! All you need are just five ingredients!
For under $10, you can make a treat the whole family will love. This recipe makes 48 candies, which works out to be around $0.21 per candy.
If you need more ideas for Valentine’s Day dessert recipes, we recommend these Chocolate Peanut Butter Bon Bons, this Death by Chocolate Poke Cake, and these Chocolate Glazed Biscuit Donuts.
Rolo Pretzel Turtles
Valentine’s is a day of love that we like to celebrate with our families. There is no better way to celebrate and show our love for loved ones than through food.
The sweet and salty combination in each bite of these Rolo Pretzel Turtles is perfection. You get the salty flavor of the pretzel, the sweet taste of the chocolate covered caramel, and the crunch of the pecan all in one.
In less than 45 minutes and with only five ingredients, you will have these treats ready to enjoy with your family (or by yourself, while you work, or at night after the kids are in bed, no judgments here!).
Another great option is to put these in a decorative tin and gift them to friends, neighbors, teachers, etc.
Grab the kiddos because his Turtle Candy recipe is an easy recipe that will help them become comfortable in the kitchen! We love making these turtles for Valentine’s Day, but you can easily switch out the sprinkles to enjoy them year-round.
What are turtle candies made of?
Our shortcut recipe calls for the same number of each of the following ingredients: salted pretzels, Rolos, pecans, and white chocolate chips. Top them off with fun sprinkles.
Why are turtle candies called Turtles?
This dessert was first created in the 1930s. Nestle was the first company to trademark the name because the treat looked like a turtle.
The pecans were placed on the bottom and then covered with caramel and chocolate. The chocolate shell resembled a turtle’s shell, while the pecans sticking out looked like the turtle head poking out.
Our recipe takes the classic turtle recipe and gives it a fun, easy to make twist everyone will enjoy!
How to make Turtle Candy:
STEP ONE: First, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Then, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the pretzels in a single layer on the sheet.
STEP TWO: Next, place one chocolate-covered caramel on top of each pretzel. Bake these in the oven for 3-4 minutes.
STEP THREE: Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave for one minute. Stir and cook for 30-second intervals until the chocolate is melted.
STEP FOUR: After removing the baking sheet from the oven, press one pecan on the top of each caramel. Drizzle melted white chocolate over the top.
STEP FIVE: Finally, sprinkle candy or sprinkles on top of the chocolate. Let the candy cool before serving.
Cook’s Tools:
The Flavor and Recipe Variations
Instead of white chocolate chips, you can use any color of melting chocolate disks.
You can make these for any holiday or celebration by simply changing the sprinkles.
How much will this Turtle Candy recipe cost to make:
RECIPE COST: $9.92
PRICE PER CANDY: $0.21
- mini pretzel twists – $0.48
- Rolo candies – $4.60
- pecan halves – $1.92
- 1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips – $2.24
- Valentine’s sprinkles – $0.68
To find out more about how we price our recipes, check out Budget Recipes Explained.
How long is it good for:
Serve: Serve these immediately after they have finished cooling down.
Store: Keep the leftovers in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for up to one week.
Freeze: You can freeze these in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
How to get the kids involved with this Rolo Pretzel Turtles recipe:
Ages 2-3: Have your little one place the pretzels on the baking sheet. This would be a great activity to practice counting skills as they place the pretzels on the pan.
Ages 4-5: Let your child place the caramel on top of each pretzel. He/she can also help you sprinkle the sprinkles on top after baking the turtles.
Ages 6-8: This is a great recipe for your kiddo to attempt on their own. With you close by, they will gain the confidence of making a recipe from start to finish on their own.
Ages 9-11: Supervise them while they prepare the entire recipe. Remember to have them read it twice before beginning the recipe.
Ages 12+: Let them prepare the entire recipe, unsupervised, while you do the happy dance in the corner!
More Desserts:
- Brownie Cookies
- Cake Mix Banana Bread
- Chocolate Glazed Biscuit Donuts
- Cheesecake Fruit Salad
- Chick-Fil-A Copycat Frosted Lemonade
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Cake Mix Peach Cobbler
- Chocolate Dipped Sugar Cookies
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
- Death by Chocolate Poke Cake
- Easy Chocolate Fudge
- Chocolate Wacky Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Bon Bons
- Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake
- Mom’s Lemon Lush
Valentine's Rolo Pretzel Turtles
Recipe Cost 9.92 Serving Cost 0.83Equipment
- baking sheet
- rubber spatula
- Microwave-safe bowl
Ingredients
- 48 mini pretzel twists
- 48 Rolo candies
- 48 pecan halves
- 1 ½ cup white chocolate chips
- Valentine’s sprinkles
Instructions
PREHEAT OVEN AND PREP PAN:
- Move oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
ASSEMBLE CANDIES:
- Arrange the pretzels on the baking sheet in a single layer.
- Place one Rolo candy on top of each pretzel.
BAKE:
- Bake in pretzels and Rolos in the oven for 3-4 minutes or until the chocolate softens and starts to melt.
- Remove pretzels from the oven and press one pecan onto the top of each candy.
MELT WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS:
- Melt white chocolate chips and oil in a microwave-safe dish on 50% powder for 1 minute. Stir and then cook at 50% power for 30-second intervals until melted.
DECORATE TURTLE CANDIES:
- Drizzle melted white chocolate over the tops of the pecans.
- Add sprinkles on top quickly before the chocolate cools.
COOL AND SERVE:
- Transfer Rolo pretzel turtles to a cooling rack and cool completely. Serve.
Notes
- Melting chocolate disks of any color can be used instead of white chocolate chips.
- Be sure not to use unsalted pretzels; the turtles taste much better
with the sweet and salty combination. - When drizzling the white chocolate, you can spoon the melted chocolate into a sandwich bag and cut one of the corners off to make your own piping bag, or you can use a spoon.
- To cool the turtles faster, you can put them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Jesse says
I LOVE how this recipe is so simple and inexpensive. A great idea for Valentine’s Day.
Jess Jankowski says
We agree Jesse, thanks!
Claudia says
What a fantastic idea for turtles I can already imagine the crunchy deliciousness and cant wait to make these!
Jess Jankowski says
Enjoy Claudia!
Andrea says
You had me at salty, sweet and crunchy! These are adorable and so addictive.
Jess Jankowski says
Nothing beats the combo of sweet, salty, and crunchy!
Jen says
This looks like such a fun treat to make with the kids. They always love adding the decorative elements to our cookies and candies.
Jess Jankowski says
The decorations on top are our kids’ favorite part too!
Jacqueline says
These pretzel turtles are such fun! Am going to add this recipe to my kids recipe board for when my nephew and niece next visit. We usually spend time having fun in the kitchen!
Jess Jankowski says
Such a fun activity to do when they come to visit! Thanks for saving the recipe!