I dove into a whole pile of these when we got home from Pia’s School Christmas Pagent tonight. It was that kind of a night. Like the patent was adorable and sweet!!! But the shlepping the kids through rush hour traffic and walking 4 blocks in the mud and rain and listening to my kids bicker, and then the like sweaty church scene. well, I just needed some turtles when I got home, you know?
So this afternoon, I also realized that I lost our Christmas card list somehow. BRUTAL. So I just tried desperately to put it back together from very sad old address books and weird stuff like that- but let me just say that if you usually get a card from us and you don’t this year- forgive me! I am an organized persons worst nightmare.
But the good news is that I have done most of my wrapping!! Too bad I haven’t finished my shopping…..
But on a very bright and happy note, lets discuss these turtles. It’s old-fashioned indulgent homemade candy. Only its VEGAN!!! I just care that there is no dairy and that I can still chow down on it!- so delicious and they make a wonderful last minute gift or to bring on Christmas. I am bringing a plate to my moms with these turtles, these peppermints and these chocolate peanut butter truffles. All vegan, all amazing!
Recipe: Vegan Salted Chocolate Caramel Pecan Turtles
Ingredients
- 2 cups Roasted Pecan Halves
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ cup coconut cream
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
- sea salt (or kosher salt)
Instructions
- Prepare a sheet pan with a silpat or a sheet of parchment paper.
- In a sauce pan, heat the sugar over medium heat. When the sugar liquefies, stir it constantly letting the sugar cook until the sugar was pale golden brown. (you don’t want to let it get all the way amber or the caramel would be too hard when it sets up)
- Stir in the coconut oil, coconut cream (it will froth and bubble so be careful!) and the salt and stir until the caramel is smooth and golden brown. Turn off the heat and immediately stir in the pecans.
- Immediately spoon the pecan-caramel mixture onto the prepared sheet pans in little mounds. (I got 12 mounds.)
- Let the caramel mixtures set up. In the mean time, microwave the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl until they are melted. Use a spoon to generously drizzle the chocolate over the pecans and sprinkle the chocolate with the sea salt.
- Let the turtles set up and then store in the freezer or in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 12
Whoa. These are definitely the ultimate candy!! Love!
Turtles are always a holiday winner and must. These look so decadent and luscious.
Everyone in our nest can use a little pecan turtle love right now! Happy Nesting.
Yum! These are some beautiful turtles! Happy Holidays to you Heather!
These turtles look delicious!!!
Hi! I have 2 questions, when you list coconut cream, is that from the can? Also does the caramel have a coconut taste to it?
Yes- it is coconut cream from the can, and the caramel only has the faintest taste if caramel- it is really mild.
What is coconut cream and where can it be purchased?
Hi Pat- it is unsweetened coconut cream in a can, they sell it at trader joes and on Amazon if you are not near one: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=trader+joe's+coconut+cream&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atrader+joe's+coconut+cream
It’s basically all of the hard white heavy cream that gathers on the top of a can of coconut milk- only it is a whole can of it.
When I add in the coconut cream and oil, my sugar hardens immediately. Any fixes for this?
All caramel does this when you make it this way, but don’t worry! You just keep whisking it over low heat and the sugar will melt back into the sauce. If this is really problematic for you, you could also mix everything together in the pot and then heat it, but make sure that you cook it long enough to get golden so that it will thicken up enough and stay put on the pecans.
I had a total fail x3!!!!!!!! Followed the recipe exactly as written, exact proportions, and got a hard candy blob in a pool of liquid….no matter when I added the coconut cream/oil mixture.
SO DISSAPPOINTED!!!!!
I’ll go for the dairy and use Kraft caramels instead.
I love this recipe. I’ve never made caramel before and I’m having trouble getting the consistency right. Any tips?
Erin- you can always mix everything together first and then bring it to a simmer all together.
This looks so good! What a great way to enjoy a treat while sticking to a vegan diet!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Hi! I made these yesterday and the flavor is delicious, but the caramel was troublesome. We stopped stirring it when it was amber colored, but it looks like we didn’t go long enough since they never set up. We didn’t get turtles, but we have something ooey gooey and yummy.
Since color is so subjective, have you ever tried this with a candy thermometer? Having a temperature to heat to would be really helpful!
Samantha
Hi! I made these yesterday and the flavor is delicious, but the caramel was troublesome. We stopped stirring it when it was amber colored, but it looks like we didn’t go long enough since they never set up. We didn’t get turtles, but we have something ooey gooey and yummy.
Since color is so subjective, have you ever tried this with a candy thermometer? Having a temperature to heat to would be really helpful!
I like others had problems adding the coconut milk to the melted sugar and having it seize up into hard lumps. I didn’t want to waste the ingredients so I continued to cook for at least 20 min to get the sugar lumps down to hardly noticeable. I went on with the recipe and it was good. I could taste a few crystals, hopefully when I take them to a dinner tonight they won’t be noticeable. I’m wondering if there is a certain temperature the sugar should be before adding the coconut milk. Maybe the milk should be a certain temperature before adding. Knowing the temperature the caramel mixture should reach would be helpful as well I was so concerned about color which is subjective. I never had trouble making caramel prior or be dairy free.
Hi! These look delicious. Do you have the nutritional facts for this recipe? Thanks!