This mouthwatering Keto Turtle Bark features layers of dark chocolate with a gooey center of sugar free caramel and chopped pecans. It is delightfully decadent and surprisingly easy to make!
If the combination of chocolate, caramel, and pecans sends you into paroxysms of delight, you’ve come to the right place! I adore this flavor combination and I try to work it into as many recipes as I can think of. And readers love treats like my copycat Keto Turtles, and Slow Cooker Keto Turtle Brownies.
This keto chocolate bark that has that same gooey caramel pecan goodness going on. It’s a must make for turtle lovers!
Updated Turtle Bark Recipe
I created this divine keto treat several years ago when those turtle cravings hit. It was so good and I quickly became obsessed. But several readers had trouble with the keto caramel sauce not setting properly.
So I decided to revisit the recipe and see if I could identify the problem. The proper consistency depends heavily on the sweeteners you use and how long you cook it. But I’ve managed to simplify the process and make it better. As long as you follow all of my tips, you should have success!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sweeteners: The caramel requires two sweeteners to have the right consistency. One is allulose based and the other is erythritol based. Please see the Sweetener Options for a more detailed discussion.
- Whipping cream: This creates a rich, thick caramel sauce. If you need to be dairy-free, try replacing it with coconut cream (and skip the butter altogether).
- Chocolate: Any keto-friendly chocolate you like best should work, as long as it melts well. I like dark chocolate but milk chocolate works too.
- Cocoa butter: This helps the chocolate melt more smoothly and thins it out a bit. You can use coconut oil, but the bark will be much more melty at room temperature.
- Pecans: Chopped toasted pecans add flavor and crunch! You could use a different chopped nut if you prefer.
- Xanthan gum (optional): If the caramel sauce ends up a bit thin, you can add some xanthan gum to help firm it up.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, vanilla extract, salt.
How to Make Keto Pecan Turtle Bark
- Prepare the caramel sauce: Combine the sweeteners and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the cream, and cook another 2 to 4 minutes until thickened. Stir in the vanilla and salt.
- Melt the chocolate: Combine the chocolate and cocoa butter in a double boiler and stir until melted and smooth.
- Add the first chocolate layer: Spread half of the chocolate mixture over the bottom of a 9×9 inch pan and freeze until firm.
- Add the caramel layer: Pour the caramel over the chocolate layer and sprinkle with the pecans. Freeze until firm.
- Add the remaining chocolate: Spread the remaining chocolate as evenly as possible over the caramel pecan layer. Return to the freezer for 1 hour.
- Serve: Lift the bark out by the edges of the parchment and cut into squares or triangles.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
I highly recommend using a good stainless steel saucepan for making any kind of caramel. Good quality cookware keeps it from heating up too quickly, and the light color allows you to easily see the caramelization in process so you don’t overcook it.
The caramel will bubble up quite spectacularly when you add the cream so make sure your pot is large enough. A 3 quart pan should be sufficient.
I always recommend melting keto chocolate with cocoa butter, to melt it more smoothly and to thin it out. This helps keep the carbs down and makes the chocolate less likely to seize.
Freezing each of the layers before adding the next one helps keep each layer nice and defined, so they don’t mix together.
Sweetener Options
The combination of sweeteners is integral to the success of this recipe. I use an erythritol-based brown sugar replacement as well as an allulose-based sweetener, as they balance each other out nicely in terms of texture and flavor.
Using only erythritol sweeteners will cause the caramel to recrystallize and be hard and crunchy. Using only allulose makes it so soft, it can take more than 24 hours to firm up. Additionally, allulose can take on a sour or bitter flavor when caramelized, which many people don’t enjoy (including me!). I’ve tested out various iterations of keto caramel sauce and I always come back to a 50/50 split of these two sweeteners.
While you are free to use whatever sweeteners you like best, I want you to be aware of how your choices will affect the outcome.
More Delicious Caramel Recipes
Keto Pecan Turtle Bark
Ingredients
Keto Caramel
- 1/4 cup (50 g) allulose, (or xylitol)
- 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar replacement
- 3 tbsp butter, cut into 3 pieces
- 1/3 cup (79.33 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) sea salt
Turtle Bark
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) sugar-free dark chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 ounce (21.26 g) cocoa butter, chopped
- 3/4 cup (74.25 g) chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
Keto Caramel
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the sweeteners and the butter. Bring to a boil and cook 4 to 5 minutes, watching carefully so it doesn't burn.
- Remove from heat and add the cream. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Return to medium low heat and cook until deep amber and thickened, another 2 minutes or so.
- Remove and stir in the vanilla and the salt. Let cool while preparing the chocolate.
Turtle Bark
- Line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Allow the paper to overhang the sides for easy removal.
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan over barely simmering water, combine the chocolate and cocoa butter. Stir until melted and smooth.
- Spread half of the chocolate mixture over the bottom of the prepared baking pan, spreading to the edges. Freeze until firm, 10 to 20 minutes.
- Pour the caramel layer over the chocolate (if the caramel has firmed up too much, warm gently until pourable). Sprinkle the caramel with the chopped pecans and freeze about 30 minutes to firm up.
- Re-warm the remaining chocolate and spread over the caramel layer. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to firm up.
- Lift out by the edges of the parchment paper and cut into bars or triangles.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Indeed you can! I tried a version of the caramel sauce using coconut cream in place of the whipping cream. Just skip the butter altogether or use palm shortening (coconut oil tends to separate out). You may need to boil it a bit longer to thicken it.
These days, you have many options when it comes to sugar-free dark chocolate. I usually use ChocZero or Lily’s but I’ve discovered that Pascha now carries sugar-free chips that are totally dairy free.
Store the keto bark in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days, and in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can also freeze it for several months, although the chocolate can change a bit in the freezing and thawing process.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I made this today for my brother. I will certainly have a few bites as well. Thank you for another lovely recipe. You have made my keto journey better than I ever thought it would be!
Enjoy!
Excellent Will
Make for the Holidays
Oh dear – I don’t know what I did wrong. The caramel sauce did not set up at all. I could not get it above 230 degrees and it just kept getting darker and darker. Even after sitting in the fridge for over 30 minutes it’s as runny as water (well, almost but not thick as cold cream).
I was so looking forward to this recipe.
Can you please tell me what sweetener(s) you used?
just allulose. I ended up adding a bit of xanthan gum and it got thick enough to use for the recipe. it was my travel snack (24-hours of travel) was such a welcome treat.
correct that – I followed the recipe as written (d’ho – travel brain in my reply).
Hi Carolyn, See the drips down the sides of the bark in your picture? That is literally what happened to me as I looked and read your post LOL. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
I love your caramel sauce. I always add a tsp of blackstrap molasses for a bit deeper flavor. I hope that works here. I’m going to try this today.
This recipe sounds delish. I will try making them.
I just started reading labels for Keto and was wondering if I am doing my math correctly.
+17 g carbs
– 2 g fiber
-12g alcohol sugar
______
3g net carbs
Yup!
Can regular butter be substituted for the cacao butter?
Cacao butter is the pure, fat-based component of the cocoa bean, offering a subtle chocolate flavor and a luxurious mouthfeel to foods, while regular butter is a dairy product made from milk. You can substitute cacao butter for regular butter in some recipes, but use a 1:1 ratio and melt the cacao butter first, keeping in mind it will create a firmer, stiffer baked good and add a hint of chocolate flavor.
I got it backwards when I looked it up but you will get the idea 🙂
I don’t like dark chocolate; how about milk chocolate?
I can’t find cocoa butter. Can it be made at home?