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Turtle Bark combines chocolate, caramel and pecans for an easy Christmas treat!
Add this 4 ingredient Christmas bark to your cookie plates!
Are you on team Christmas cookies or Christmas no bake treats?
For the past few years Ryan and I have assembled around 30-40 Christmas tins with cookies and no bake treats to give to coworkers, friends and neighbors.
I typically pick 1-2 Christmas cookies to include, but then the rest of the items are no bake because they are quicker to make, especially when assembling such large quantities.
I usually include Tiger Butter, Chocolate Peppermint Bark, and Oreo Fudge. Those are all no bake Christmas candies that everyone seems to love! Want more ideas? Get more Christmas Candy Recipes!
Turtles are a candy confection that’s made with chocolate, caramel and nuts.
They have been around since the 1900s and first got their name because the candy looked like turtles, with 4 pecans sticking out from the chocolate and caramel.
Turtle bark combines all those classic flavors of turtle candy, but it’s easier to make than individual little candies. It’s perfect to add to cookie plates because it requires minimal ingredients and hands on time.
This Christmas bark is easy to make because it uses chocolate almond bark. Almond bark is made to be melted and cooled. It also has a crisp snap, which makes it perfect for turtle bark.
What You’ll Need
The detailed ingredient list is below in the recipe card.
- chocolate almond bark
- caramel squares – can use caramel bits as well
- pecans – I used a combination of chopped and whole pecans
- heavy cream or water
How To Melt Almond Bark
For the most part, follow the directions on the package. I like to chop the almond bark into smaller pieces for quicker melting.
I place the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave for 3 minutes on 50% power, stirring and then continuing to microwave on 50% power until mostly melted.
How To Melt Caramel Squares
Place the caramel squares in a microwave safe bowl. If you are using caramel bits instead of squares, use 1 & 1/4 cup caramel bits.
Add 1-2 tbsp of water or heavy cream and microwave for 1 minute on 50% power. Stir. Microwave for an additional minute on 50% power, or continue until the caramel is melted.
Toasting Pecans for Turtle Bark
To enhance the nutty flavor and to give pecans a snappy, crunchy texture, you can toast them in the oven before adding them to the bark.
How to toast pecans: Spread the pecans in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 7-10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes until the pecans are brown and fragrant.
How To Freeze Chocolate Turtle Bark
Break the turtle bark into pieces before putting in the freezer. Divide the bark into 4 piles and wrap each pile tightly in plastic wrap. Then cover in aluminum foil and place inside a freezer bag.
To thaw, place the entire bag or individual bundles in the fridge overnight. Once thawed, unwrap the bundles.
Pro Tips
Line the baking sheet with either a silicone baking mat, parchment paper or wax paper.
If you want, you can sprinkle sea salt over the caramel.
Work fast, swirling the chocolate and caramel together. Add the pecans before the chocolate sets.
Reserve a small amount of chocolate to drizzle over the pecans.
Toast the pecans to enhance the nutty flavor and to give them a snappy, crunchy texture.
More Christmas Treats
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Turtle Bark
Ingredients
- 1 package chocolate almond bark, 20-24 oz
- 25 caramel squares, equal to about 1 & 1/4 cup caramel bits
- 1-2 tbsp water or heavy cream
- whole pecans, as many as you desire, I chopped some of them
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with either a silicone baking mat, parchment paper or wax paper.
- Rough chop the almond bark into smaller pieces for quicker melting. Place in a glass bowl.
- Microwave the glass bowl for 3 minutes on 50% power, stir. Microwave for another 1-2 minutes on 50% power. Add more time in 30 second intervals if needed until melted. Continue to stir the chocolate to keep it melted while you melt the caramel.
- Place the caramel squares in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1-2 tbsp of water or heavy cream and microwave for 1 minute on 50% power. Stir. Microwave for an additional minute on 50% power, continue for 30 second intervals until the caramel is melted.
- Reserve a small amount of chocolate for drizzling, about 1/4 cup.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the silicone mat, spreading smooth with a spatula. Use a spoon or small cookie scoop and drop dollops of caramel on the bark. Swirl the chocolate and caramel together with a butter knife or spatula. Add the pecans (chopped and whole). Drizzle the remaining chocolate over the bark.
- Allow the bark to harden on the counter for 2-3 hours. Using a sharp knife, cut the bark into pieces once it’s completely set. Store in an airtight container.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
I used a silicone sheet in the bottom of a cookie sheet. Then I chopped chocolate into 1/2 inch(about) pieces. Spread the pieces on silicone. Put in 350 oven for 3 minutes. Spread easily with a rubber spatula. Easier than microwave to melt.
I love that idea!
Great recipe…I drizzled with white almond bark then, added scant/small amount of xmas sprinkles!
This looks so good. Its going in my receipt book. Thanks 😉
I Can’t wait To Make This Recipe,The Grandson’s Will all love it ,As well as The Family .Thank You For Sharing YourRecipes.God Bless You And Your Familys,You Have A Blessed Day.Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year.
Can you use whole milk instead of water or heavy cream?
Yes you can!
It’s actually chocolate for melting to make chocolate dipped candy. It isn’t actually almond bark. Almond Bark is chocolate with almonds in it – like a Hershey’s almond chocolate bar. Hope that clears up some confusion.
Going to try that
If almond bark is not available – can chocolate chips be used???
🤤🤤🤤
Almond bark is chocolate for dipping. It might also be called chocolate flavored candy coating. It doesn’t contain any almonds.
Thanks for this recipe Beth. It will be great for a chocolate treat for my neices’s Masters Graduation celebration!
I loved this!! Everyone else loved it as well, i use smuckers carmel because the store didn’t had soft carmels, the carmel never really harder even after freezing it, so don’t use liquid carmel! Other than my mistake, it was still pretty tasty.