Pretzel Turtles are one of the easiest treats you’ll ever make! Crisp salty pretzel layered with sweet caramel chocolate and finished with a crunchy pecan. Only 3 ingredients needed!
3-Ingredient Pretzel Turtles
During the Holiday season, one of my favorite things to do is bake and stay in the kitchen! From fudge, cookies, and cakes, to drinks and goodies….there are just so many things to make and enjoy!
These pretzel turtles are one of the easiest sweets to make. In fact, my kids are the ones that take care of making these because they love sampling their way through them.
The salty, sweet combination and crunchy pecan topping makes these treats a must during the Holiday season. Plus, they are the perfect addition to goodie trays for friends, neighbors, teachers, and family.
Why Make These Rolo Pretzel Turtles
- Easy To Make- with only 3 ingredients needed, it doesn’t get much easier
- Salty and Sweet- satisfies both cravings for salty and sweet
- Uses Just 3 Ingredients- ready in no time
- Perfect For the Holidays- adds a festive touch to any goodie tray
- Make For Awesome Gifts- place in containers or jars and gift them to others
- Kid Friendly- have the kids get in the kitchen and help you bake these treats
Ingredients Needed:
Just pretzels, chocolate, and various toppings required! This recipe really is so simple. Scroll below for printable recipe card!
- Pretzels- try to use mini square pretzels. It holds the melted candy the best! I find that the round ones have a harder time holding the candy up.
- Rolo’ s- these add the chocolate caramel to the turtle, however, you can also use Hershey Kisses or Reese’s
- Pecans- this creates the classic turtle, however, if you don’t like nuts, you can use peppermints, M&M’s, peanuts, etc.
How to make Pretzel Turtles
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
- Place pretzels in a single layer on cookie sheet.
- Unwrap Rolo’s and place one on top of each pretzel.
- Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and immediately place one pecan on top of each Rolo, pressing until it is slightly flattened.
- Allow pretzels to cool to room temp, or place in refrigerator. Once set, serve or place in airtight container!
What pretzels to use
I have found that mini square pretzels work best because they don’t have a large hole opening like the circle pretzels. However, the circles will work fine; pay attention that the candies don’t fall through when baking.
I don’t recommend using regular-sized pretzels, they’re too big for the candy, but the mini twists can work too!
Storage
These pretzel turtles will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
Refrigerator- 2 weeks
Freezer- 3 months
FAQ’s
What can I use in place of the Rolo Candy? You can use Hershey Kisses, Hugs, or Reese’s Cups. If you look around, you can sometimes even find the Hershey Kisses filled with caramel which are tasty too!
How long do I bake these for? All ovens vary. Mine typically are ready in only about 4 minutes, but I have heard from some people that theirs took only 2 minutes! Keep an eye as they bake as it goes quick!
How many turtles does one batch make? You can usually get about 35 turtles per batch.
Why are they called Turtles? They get their cute name from their look. With a pecan topping and squished chocolate center, they resemble turtles.
What do I use if I can’t find Rolos? You can also use caramels and then drizzle chocolate (I love semi-sweet) on top once the caramel has melted. This is an actual turtle versus the Rolo shortcut.
How do I speed up the cooling process? You have to wait until the chocolate cools and hardens! To speed up the process pop them into the fridge for a bit, and then finally you can enjoy these delicious morsels
Variations to try
- Classic- use a pretzel, Rolo candy, and Pecan
- Peppermint- use a peppermint Hershey Kiss and peppermint M & M on top
- Peanut Butter- use a Reese’s peanut butter cup and honey roasted peanut in place of the pecan
More Holiday Recipes to try
Chocolate Crinkle Candy Cane Cookies
Easy Pretzel Turtles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 bag pretzels *mini twists or squares
- 1 bag Rolo's
- 1 bag Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
- Place pretzels in a single layer on cookie sheet.
- Unwrap Rolo’s and place one on top of each pretzel.
- Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and immediately place one pecan on top of each Rolo, pressing until it is slightly flattened.
- Allow pretzels to cool to room temp, or place in refrigerator.
- Once set, serve or place in airtight container!
Matt
2 ways you could improve a tad… (IMO)
Bit of sea-salt, or, dust with icing sugar…
But, the base is GREAT (and, easy to do)
Kristin
Ooooo great tips, thanks! I love playing around with variations, so I appreciate the ideas!
Mary Baggs
I just made this for my girls Christmas party tomorrow. They look great and taste fantastic and we’re Soooo easy. Thanks!!!
Kristin
Yea! So glad it was a success! Hope you enjoyed them!!