If you love that combination of chocolate, caramel and pecans but you’re also a fan of a light, fluffy puff pastry, you’re going to flip over these delicious treats! This has to be the simplest way to make turtles yet!

An Idea Born out of Convenience
Friends, some of my favorite recipes have come from experiences like this one. I look in the fridge, see a random package of puff pastry, and think to myself, “What could I make with that?”
In this case I happened to be making some of my dulce de leche from sweetened condensed milk. So, I knew I had that. I also had chocolate chips and pecans. So, I got to thinking about a candy my mama was famous for, Turtles.
Turtles have always been a personal favorite but I’ve never merged them with puff pastry. . .until now.
But. . .would it work? I’d made Puff Pastry Pecan Pie Bites using my small muffin tin, so I opted to go that route for these. I’ll tell you more about how they turned out later. For now, let’s look at the ingredients you’ll need.
Puff Pastry Turtle Ingredients

- 1 package puff pastry
- 1 can dulce de leche (or one bag of Kraft caramel bits from the baking aisle)
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
I only had a dozen Hershey’s kisses but I happened to have plenty of chocolate chips to make up the difference, since this recipe makes 24 turtles.
How to Make Puff Pastry Turtles
If you’re making your own dulce de leche you’ll want to start by doing that. It’s a three-hour process so plan accordingly.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Roll out the sheet of puff pastry.
Using a pizza cutter, cut into 24 squares.

Prepare a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.

Place one square of dough in each slot. Gently press down.

Place a teaspoon of caramel (or a few caramel bits) into each cup.

Sprinkle a few chopped pecans on top of the caramel.

Place a few mini chocolate chips on top of the pecans.

Place the pan in preheated oven and bake for 15 - 17 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
Serve and enjoy!

Store leftovers at room temperature in airtight container. They should stay fresh for 4-5 days.
What to Expect from this Recipe

They're light, they're flaky, they have a gooey caramel center, the crunch of the pecans, and that delicious melted chocolate. These were a huge hit at our family's New Years' Eve celebration and I'll be making them again!
Variations on this Recipe
You can fill the puff pastries with a variety of fun things, including:
Coconut: Add a pinch of coconut to the recipe to make a coconut pecan filling.
White chocolate instead of semi-sweet: This would be a lovely combination!
Skip the chocolate: Looking for a praline-like flavor? Simply skip the chocolate
Other Puff Pastry Desserts from Out of the Box Baking
- Puff Pastry Nutella Rolls
- Puff Pastry Apple Pies
- Puff Pastry Pumpkin Rolls
- Puff Pastry Baklava Bites
- Puff Pastry Pecan Pie Bites
That’s it for this post, friends!
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe.
If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!



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About the Author
Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.

Puff Pastry Turtles
If you love that combination of chocolate, caramel and pecans but you’re also a fan of a light, fluffy puff pastry, you’re going to flip over these delicious treats! This has to be the simplest way to make turtles yet!
Ingredients
- 1 package puff pastry
- ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 24 Hershey’s kisses (or 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roll out the sheet of puff pastry.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut into 24 squares.
- Prepare a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.
- Place one square of dough in each slot.
- Place a teaspoon of caramel (or a few caramel bits) into each cup.
- Sprinkle a few chopped pecans on top of the caramel.
- Place one kiss (or 5-6 chocolate chips) on top of the pecans.
- Place the pan in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Store leftovers at room temperature in airtight container. They should stay fresh for 4-5 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 47Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 7mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g
The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.