I remember coming across turtle clusters for the first time in a little boutique in Boston many years ago. The woman working in the boutique was so surprised I didn’t know what they were that she offered me a free sample to try, and I loved them.
![](https://bananabloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/AlmondCashewCaramelTurtleClusters_03-1024x999.jpg)
They’re commonly made with pecans, but since they’re hard to come by here in Sweden so I used salted cashews and almonds in mine.
I made mine vegan by using oat cream instead of dairy cream and dairy free butter for the caramel sauce. Whenever I make vegan caramel sauce, I often struggle with that it doesn’t set properly so it floats out all over the place. Knowing this often happens, I chose to make my Almond Cashew Caramel Turtle Clusters in mini cupcake forms to keep the caramel in place. Note: This was a mistake! Do not make these in paper cups. The caramel gets stuck like glue to the paper. I ended up having to slice the caramel cups out of the paper cups to save them.
![](https://bananabloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/AlmondCashewCaramelTurtleClusters_02-1024x1007.jpg)
![](https://bananabloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/AlmondCashewCaramelTurtleClusters_05-1024x931.jpg)
Here’s how to make Almond Cashew Caramel Turtle Clusters, not in paper cups.
Ingredients
For the base
2 cups of salted almonds and cashews
For the caramel sauce
50 grams (1.7 oz) vegan butter
3 dl (300 ml or ~10 fl oz) vegan cream (I used Oatly oat cream)
3 dl (~1.2 cups) sugar
1 1/2 dl (~0.6 cups) syrup
To top with
300 grams (~10 oz) vegan milk or dark chocolate
How to make Almond Cashew Caramel Turtle Clusters
- Butter or oil a mini cupcake tin, or line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Place 4-5 nuts (mixing a few almond and a few cashews) in each form in the mini cupcake tin, or make small piles of nuts on the baking tray. Set aside while you make the caramel sauce.
- In a large saucepan, add the butter, cream, sugar and syrup and bring to a boil. Lower the heat slightly and let bubble until the caramel reaches a temperature of 125C (257F). This will take about 20-25 minutes. Once it’s reached temperature, remove from the heat and let rest for a minute until it stops bubbling.
- Spoon the caramel sauce over the nuts into each form, only fill about 3/4 of the way so you leave space for the chocolate. Transfer the tray to the fridge or freezer until set (about 1-2 hours).
- Melt the chocolate and spoon a little bit over each of the clusters. Transfer to the fridge again until set. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
Enjoy!
![](https://bananabloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/AlmondCashewCaramelTurtleClusters_01-902x1024.jpg)