An easy chocolate fudge recipe with a caramel center and chopped pecans.  Everyone will love this Turtle Fudge!

An easy chocolate fudge recipe with a caramel center and chopped pecans. Everyone will love this Turtle Fudge!

I have to make a confession.  Growing up, I absolutely hated any kind of nuts in my desserts.  My parents on the other hand?  They absolutely loved them.

Every year my dad would make a huge batch of his favorite fudge.  You know the recipe on the back of the marshmallow fluff jars?  He also loved adding chopped pecans to the fudge, but since he was a nice dad he would always leave them out of half of the fudge for me.

Fast forward several years and I’ve really grown to love them.  I actually snack on almonds at work and even enjoy pecans in my fudge, especially in this easy turtle fudge.

An easy chocolate fudge recipe with a caramel center and chopped pecans. Everyone will love this Turtle Fudge!

Since I wanted to keep this recipe on the easier side, I used my favorite easy fudge recipe.  All you need is just three cups of semisweet chocolate chips, one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, and two tablespoons of butter.  You’ll add all three to a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until the mixture is smooth, then throw in some chopped pecans.

For the caramel center, I used caramel candies with a little heavy cream.  Just toss them into a bowl with your heavy cream and microwave it in 20-30 second increments, stirring well after each one, until the mixture is melted and smooth.

An easy chocolate fudge recipe with a caramel center and chopped pecans. Everyone will love this Turtle Fudge!

Then comes the layering part!  Add half of the fudge to your prepared baking pan, followed by all of the caramel, then the remaining fudge on top.  Spread it all out evenly, then pop it in the refrigerator for a few hours until it’s solid and can easily be cut into squares.

The caramel will soften a bit at room temperature, so I suggest storing them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it.  Not that there’s anything wrong with a gooey caramel center.  Am I right?

Turtle Fudge

5 from 2 ratings
Prep Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
An easy chocolate fudge recipe with a caramel center and chopped pecans. Everyone will love this Turtle Fudge!

Ingredients

Servings: 16 pieces
  • 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 30 soft caramel candies unwrapped
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions
 

  • Line an 8x8 baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure to leave some overhang for easy removal. Lightly grease the sides of the foil in the pan (to prevent the caramel from sticking to the foil) and set aside.
  • Add the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter to a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring well until the mixture is completely smooth. Add in the chopped pecans and stir until fully combined. Set aside.
  • Add the caramel candies and heavy cream to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring well after each increment, until the mixture is melted and smooth.
  • Add half of the fudge to the prepared baking pan and smooth it out. Add all of the caramel on top and evenly distribute it on top of the fudge. Add the remaining half of the fudge and spread it out evenly over the caramel.
  • Transfer fudge to the refrigerator for 3-4 hours (or overnight) or until the fudge is solid enough to cut into squares. Cut into small pieces and enjoy!

Notes

The caramel will soften at room temperature, so I suggested storing the fudge in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it. Store any leftover fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Danielle
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.

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