Name: Easy Buckeye Turtles Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 33
Ingredients: 1 cup creamy peanut butter; 1/4 cup butter, (softened); 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract; 1 tbsp. brown sugar; 1 2/3 cup powdered sugar; 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips; 1 tsp. vegetable oil or shortening; 20 squares unwrapped caramels ((about 1/2 11 oz. bag)); 1 tbsp. milk; 3/4 cup chopped pecans; fleur de sel, (for garnish, optional)

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Easy Buckeye Turtles Recipe combines the best buckeye candy recipe with a turtle topping drizzled over top to make a decadent homemade chocolate candy. This Easy Buckeye Turtles recipe is simple and easy to make, yet makes an elegant chocolate treat!

You may want to be sitting down for this…Evidently people in other parts of the world don’t go crazy over peanut butter. In fact, they think it’s gross.

GROSS?! I know. Mind. Blown.

Twenty years ago Ryan and I lived with a Danish guy. Hans fully embraced all aspects of life in the United States.

He resembled a Nordic Spicolli from Fast Times, drove a ’67 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible so his boogie boards could always occupy the back seat, and had the cool swagger of Happy Day’s Arthur Fonzerelli (which was how we coined his nickname – Hanserelli).

However, every time Ryan and I ate peanut butter, he noticeably cringed.

Hans rocked our world when he informed us many Europeans consider peanut butter repulsive. Worse yet, they’re even more appalled by what we pair with it!

He virtually spat out “unpalatable” examples, such as peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter in ice cream, peanut butter and bananas, and peanut butter and chocolate.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. How could a nutty, sweet, creamy spread NOT be rejoiced universally across this great earth? This is simply unfathomable!

Then I witnessed Hans spread pickled herring on something that resembled compressed particle board and wash it down with a fistful of muesli. I cringed and concluded Danes obviously weren’t born with tastebuds.

ARE YOU A PEANUT BUTTER & EASY BUCKEYE TURTLES RECIPE FAN?

If you’ve been a friend of the blog for awhile, you know I definitely have no reservations when it comes to peanut butter, especially in my desserts. This Easy Buckeye Turtles recipe fits perfectly into my chocolate & peanut butter hall of fame:

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MAKING EASY BUCKEYE TURTLES RECIPE:

Make sure the peanut butter dough is very cold / slightly frozen before inserting the toothpick in. This will help the toothpick stay in place when the ball is dipped into the melted chocolate.
The warm turtle topping may drizzle down a little after placing it on top of each ball. Don’t worry about it. After you’re finished, go back and “reshape” the caramel with your fingers so it all sits on top.
You can skip sprinkling the fleur de sel and instead make a salted caramel pecan topping to go on top. Just add 1/2 tsp. salt to the melted caramel when you stir in the pecans.
I usually just melt chocolate chips for dipping chocolate because I always have them on hand. However, sometimes the chocolate “blooms,” or gets little white spots after it cools. It doesn’t affect the taste, but doesn’t look as pretty. If you want to avoid this (say you’re giving them away as a gift, and not just sitting down to eat the whole batch of them), you may want to use chocolate melting wafers or higher quality / cocoa content chocolate chips.

Can I make this Easy Buckeye Turtles Recipe ahead of time?

Absolutely!

Once the un-dipped peanut butter balls are frozen, just transfer to a gallon freezer bag and freeze until you are ready to dip.
If you want to make the Easy Buckeye Turtles recipe in it’s entirety, freeze on baking sheet first, then transfer to gallon freezer bag. When you’re ready to defrost and serve, place back on wax-paper lined baking sheet to thaw. They will maintain their shape and won’t stick together.
You can also store in an airtight container on wax paper sheets in the refrigerator for a couple weeks. Just make sure to set out at room temperature first, before serving, so the turtle topping can soften.

SAVE THESE EASY BUCKEYE TURTLES TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARD!

And let’s be friends on PINTEREST or INSTAGRAM! I’m always sharing great recipes!