This post may contain affiliate links.
Caramel Pretzel Turtles make a fantastic sweet, salty treat and gift for the holidays! You can make dozens and dozens of these sweets in less than an hour, dress them up in a goody bag, but make sure to same some for yourself!
Looking for a recipe to cure those sweet ‘n salty cravings? I’ve got just the thing! These crunchy Pretzel Turtles are a classic sweet treat, made in 15 minutes with only 3 simple ingredients.
These bite-sized pieces of heaven are crunchy, sweet, salty, and absolutely irrespirable. Whether you’re looking for a fun treat to make with your kids, or a snack for movie night, this is the recipe for you!
I have always adored the caramel and pecan flavor combination, but adding pretzels takes it to a whole new level. I first came across these Pretzel Turtles years ago, and I decided to make them as little gifts for my sons’ teachers. Let me just tell you… my boys were the class favorites after that!
Make This Recipe For…
- Christmas Day Sweet Treat
- Teacher Appreciate Day
- Birthday Party Goodie Bags
- New Years Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Movie or Game Night
- Date Nights
- Picnics
Ingredients Needed For This Recipe
Three simple ingredients… that’s it!
- Pretzels
- Rolos
- Pecans
PRO TIP: Keep a close eye on the Rolos as they melt in the oven. You want to make sure that they’re soft enough to press pecans into, but not so soft that they melt all over the baking sheet.
How to Make Pretzel Turtles
- Place pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place one Rolo in the middle of each pretzel.
- Bake pretzels for 2-4 minutes, until the chocolate from the Rolo is soft but not runny.
- Remove from oven and immediately place one Pecan into each Rolo. Let cool and then enjoy!
Tips For Making This Recipe
- It’s hard to monitor how melted the Rolos get if you make a bunch at once, and it can also be challenging to get all the pecans pressed into the Rolos before they harden again. So, I would recommend working in smaller batches of a dozen at a time.
- Unwrap all your Rolos ahead of time, it is very time consuming.
- Set out all of your pecans before you put the pretzels in the oven. You need to work quickly to press a pecan into each Rolo, so you’ll want to have all your pecans already sitting out.
How to Serve Pretzel Turtles
These treats are really a jack of all trades! You can have them as a snack, make them with your kids to enjoy during movie night, or as a sweet surprise for school lunches. They make fantastic bite-size party favors, and also make great gifts!
Turtles were a staple Teacher Appreciation Gift when my boys were younger since you can make so many at once. I would buy those holiday themed goodie bags, fill them with Pretzel Turtles, and everyone went crazy for it!
How to Store Pretzel Turtles
One of the reasons this recipe is so fantastic is that these sweets are very easy to store! They will keep for up to a week in an airtight container.
Pretzel Turtles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 Rolos unwrapped
- 24 Whole Pecans
- 24 Pretzels I like to use the circular Pinwheel Pretzels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place 24 pretzels on baking sheet, and place one Rolo in the middle of each pretzel. Bake pretzels in the oven for about 4 minutes, until the chocolate is soft but the Rolo has not lost it's shape.
- Remove from oven and immediately begin to press one pecan into each Rolo, be gentle to ensure that the Rolo chocolate doesn't melt all over the pretzel, you want it to maintain it's circular shape.
- Transfer to a plate and allow to cool fully before serving.
Carol F says
I have never seen pinwheel shaped pretzels. Would you please tell me who makes them and where you purchased them? They would be perfect to include on cookie trays I will be gifting!
Thank you
Donya says
Hey there Carol!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, these sweet treats would be perfect for gift trays! I found these Utz Pinwheel Pretzels at my local Food Lion, but since they’re Utz brand I’m sure you could find them at your local grocery store. If you can’t find these pretzels, you can absolutely just use the normal shaped pretzels, they’ll work just as well! I hope this helps, let me know how they turn out, I appreciate your support! Happy Holidays!
~Donya