Chocolate turtle Easter eggs are an easy candy treat to make in your own home. Chocolate eggs are filled with a rich caramel pecan filling and topped with festive sprinkles.
Why you'll love this recipe
Flavor: Sweet, rich, buttery, nutty.
Few ingredients. Make chocolate turtle eggs at home with four ingredients and optional Easter sprinkles.
Better than store bought. Homemade Easter eggs taste way better than store bought candy!
Great for: Filling Easter baskets, gift giving.
Similar to: Chocolate Frogs and Butterscotch Haystack Nests
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Soft caramels - Caramels of any brand can be used for this recipe. Kraft caramels (the squares wrapped in clear plastic) are a great choice, or Werther's soft caramels (shown in photos) can be used. Hard candy caramels will not work.
- Melting wafers - Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate melting wafers all work well in this recipe. Chocolate chips don't work in this recipe because they're not meant for use in candy making and solidify with a dull finish that melts easily when handled.
- Pecans - Can be substituted with other chopped nuts, like walnuts or almonds.
- Heavy cream - Can be substituted with whole milk if needed. This will produce a slightly thinner caramel filling.
How to make turtle eggs
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt your caramels down with a bit of dairy (I used heavy cream, but whole milk can work in a pinch). In just a few minutes, you'll have a smooth, creamy caramel filling.
- Remove your caramel from the heat and stir in chopped pecans.
- Melt wafers in the microwave and add a spoonful of melted chocolate to each mold. Use a spoon to spread the chocolate up the sides of the mold. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to harden.
- Distribute caramel filling evenly between the egg molds.
- Top with remaining melted wafers (re-melting as needed) and spread to seal each egg. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Carefully pop eggs out of the molds and add decorations as desired.
Tips and tricks
Don't use high heat - There's no need to use high heat, which can scorch your caramel. Instead, use medium to medium-low heat and gently stir until your caramel sauce is completely melted and smooth.
Don't overheat your wafers - Heat your wafers just enough to melt them. Overheating your chocolate can cause it to separate and get cloudy when it sets.
Allow chocolate to solidify - Make sure your candy sets long enough to solidify completely before removing from the mold. If not, your candy may separate and leave chocolate behind in the mold.
Use clean, dry molds - Make sure your candy molds are clean and dry before beginning. If they look dull or cloudy, give them a quick wipe with a paper towel.
Use a piping bag - Having a hard time filling your candy molds? Use a piping bag to transfer your chocolate to the mold. It's less messy and easier to control filling a complex design.
More tips - I found this website particularly helpful, it contains lots of tips and tricks for using candy molds and melting wafers! Confectionery House: How to Use a Chocolate Mold
Storage
Your homemade chocolate turtle Easter eggs will keep for 2-3 weeks at room temperature in a tightly sealed container. Keep your chocolates away from warm temperatures (like a hot car) as they may melt.
Chocolates can be stored in the refrigerator but may form condensation. If you're planning on serving your candies to guests, remove them from the refrigerator and remove the lid several hours before serving.
Frequently asked questions
The amount of ingredients needed will vary depending on the size/shape of your candy mold. For this recipe, I used the first mold listed below, which makes eight 2.6" x 1.6" eggs (about the size of a regular large egg).
Moldfun 2-Pack Easter Egg Silicone Mold (the one I used in the photos)
Funshowcase 6-Cavity Patterned Easter Eggs Mold
Silicone Easter Egg Mold - Set of 3
Jovitec 4 Pieces Easter Egg Chocolate Mold
I recommend Merckens melting wafers. You can find them on Amazon and other candy making websites by doing a quick google search. Bakery supply stores may also carry Merckens locally.
If you don't have time to shop online, Ghirardelli melting wafers will do the trick in a pinch. While they don't taste quite as good as Merckens, they're still miles better than the cheap/waxy generic melting wafers.
Merckens Melting Wafers - Dark Cocoa, 2 pounds (recommended)
Merckens Melting Wafers - Milk Chocolate, 2 pounds
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers - 10 ounce, pack of 2
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Turtle Easter Eggs
Ingredients
- 7 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers
- 5 ounces soft caramels
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream, or whole milk
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
Optional decorations
- 1 ounce white chocolate melting wafers
- confetti sprinkles
- nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
- Place candy mold onto a stiff baking sheet (for ease of transferring to and from refrigerator).
- In a small microwave safe bowl, heat melting wafers in 30 second increments, stirring every 30 seconds, until wafers are melted and smooth.
- Add a spoonful of melted chocolate to each egg mold. Use a spoon to brush chocolate up the sides of the egg mold until evenly coated. If needed, add a second coat to the sides of your egg mold, filling in any holes or thin areas. Transfer to refrigerator for 10 minutes to harden.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, add soft caramels and heavy cream. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Stir in pecans. Remove from heat.
- Remove egg mold from refrigerator. Distribute caramel filling evenly between your egg molds, gently patting down into an even layer. Leave about ⅛" of space at the top of your mold to fill in with chocolate.
- Top each egg mold with remaining chocolate (reheat as needed in the microwave if chocolate has solidified) and spread into an even layer. Return tray to the refrigerator and allow to chill for 20 minutes.
- Remove eggs from molds. Optionally, swirl tops of eggs with melted white chocolate wafers and sprinkles.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Caramels: Soft caramels can be Kraft brand or Werther's brand - as long as they are soft/chewy caramels, not hard caramels.
- Melting wafers: Melting wafers cannot be substituted with chocolate chips - melting wafers are tempered chocolate and ideal for melting and making candies. They harden into a shiny, candy texture and are ideal for using in candy molds.
- Egg mold: The measurements listed were used with a candy mold that makes eight - 2.6 inch x 1.6 inch eggs (about the size of an actual large egg). Measurements will vary based on the type of candy mold used.
- Caramel consistency: For softer/thinner caramel filling, add an additional tablespoon of heavy cream.
- Storage: Candies will keep for 2-3 weeks in a sealed container at room temperature.
I’ve made these eggs for Easter gifts for a few years , they are wonderful and turned out perfectly . My question is how long will they keep in the refrigerator ? Thanks for the recipe 🥰
Hi Pat, they'll keep for up to a month in the refrigerator!
I made these , followed the recipe exactly even purchased the egg molds. Thank you for including the exact links. I really learned about chocolate too. I didnt realize you needed the candy melt instead of the regular chips. It was my first time making candy. It was so fun.
So glad to hear you enjoyed the eggs!