16 turtle recipes

Three-ingredient pretzel turtles with mini pretzels, Rolo or chocolate caramel candies, and toasted pecan halves. Easy no-fail sweet-and-salty holiday treat ready in 15 minutes.

Homemade caramel turtle candies with pecan halves, melted caramels thinned with whipped topping, and a semi-sweet chocolate shell. Three ingredients, no thermometer.

Well, I hope this recipe helps in the use of turtles, though I suspect you will have to have a very large family or like turtle soup a lot, or scale the recipe to a more manageable quantity.

Traditional turtle and ham soup simmered with cloves, bay leaf, thyme, garlic, and chopped lemon. A hearty Cajun-style wild game soup with deep, savory flavor.

Turtle shells are a novelty edible-insect snack: cooked cicadas dipped in warm chocolate glaze and cooled into crunchy, chocolate-topped morsels. A bold entry into entomophagy for the adventurous.

Pecan turtle bars with a buttery shortbread crust, bubbly brown sugar caramel layer, whole pecans, and swirled milk chocolate on top. Addictively rich cookie bars.

Fried turtle meat simmered in a dark roux-based tomato sauce with mushrooms, shallots, bell pepper, lemon peel, and cayenne, served over hot rice. An authentic Louisiana Cajun dish that's as wild as the bayou itself.

Low fat turtle cheesecake sets with gelatin instead of baking, blending nonfat cream cheese and low-fat cottage cheese into a silky filling crowned with caramel, hot fudge, and pecans.

Peanut butter apple turtles made with apple halves, grapes, and carrot shavings shaped into fun turtle snacks. A no-cook kid-friendly snack that takes 10 minutes to make.

German chocolate cake layered with gooey melted caramels, chopped pecans, and chocolate chips between two layers of batter. A semi-homemade turtle cake that's sinfully rich and ridiculously easy to make.

Frozen turtle pie with an Oreo crust layered with vanilla and chocolate ice cream, caramel sauce, and nuts. A no-bake freezer dessert that slices clean.

Terry's turtle cake layers chocolate cake with melted caramel, chocolate chips, and pecans, then tops with more batter for a gooey caramel center. A church potluck classic on a doctored cake mix base.

Easy chocolate turtle pie: graham cracker crust layered with caramel, pecans, fudge pudding, and whipped topping. A no-bake five-ingredient dessert for busy weeknights.

Santa Fe black bean cakes made from scratch with dried black beans, bacon, serrano chiles, ancho powder, and cumin. Pan-fried until crisp and served with sour cream and salsa.

Frijoles de olla are traditional Mexican pot-cooked beans simmered slowly with onion, lard, and epazote. Soupy, soulful, and the foundation of countless Mexican meals from refried beans to soups.

Turtle cookies with pecan halves, caramel candy centers wrapped in brown sugar shortbread, and a chocolate glaze dip. Adorable candy-shop cookies from scratch.