Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Nestle Turtles

imageIf you haven’t already guessed, it’s Turtle Tuesday on Candy Blog. (Maybe it’s the candy equivalent of Faschtnacht Day/Shrove Tuesday/Mardis Gras.)

I picked these Nestle Turtles up at the drug store where everything Valentine’s was already 75% off. I haven’t had Nestle Turtles in a long, long time. They weren’t always a Nestle product, they were originally made by Rowntree DeMet’s Inc. which was bought by Nestle in 1988 and eventually in 1996 rolled into the Nestle branding.

Although I’ve always loved the idea of Turtles, no one does them better than See’s (who call them Pecan Buds). But then again, I couldn’t go around thinking that without actually putting it to the test.

image

Nestle Milk Chocolate Turtles are rather uniform looking but have pretty good pieces of pecans in there. They smell very sweet and taste that way, too. Kind of milky, kind of mapley. The nuts are fresh but the chocolate tastes a little chalky and lacks a chocolate punch. They’re just too sweet and hurt my throat. They also taste kind of doughy even though there are no wheat ingredients.

Nope, I’m not keen on the real Nestle Turtles. I’ll stick to my various other versions. At the regular price they’re about $35 pound ... a total rip because you can get See’s for half that price online and even Sanders has an equally good deal (though I haven’t tried the pecan version of their Titans).

Fun Note: The character of Rochelle (Chris Rock’s mom) in Everybody Hates Chris is obsessed with Turtles. In the episode Everybody Hates the Lottery (ep 16) she agrees to give them up ... which of course goes poorly.

Name: Turtles
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Nestle
Place Purchased: Walgreen's (Echo Park)
Price: $1.98 (75% off!)
Size: 3.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 139
Categories: Chocolate, Caramel, Nuts, Canada, Nestle, Kosher

POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:14 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. Wow, you call these things turtles? They look strangely like what we call ‘Teacakes’ here in England, except here they’re filled with marshmallow and biscuit, and usually come with a small splodge of jam (jelly) beneath the chocolate.

    Quite tasty, but usually very cheap.

    Comment by Terry on 2/21/07 at 3:13 am #
  2. Terry, a “turtle” in the US refers to caramel-covered nuts coated with chocolate. See how the one on the right side of her picture looks vaguely turtle-ish? When people make them by hand at home, they often take great pains to place the pecans to give that effect. The turtles I’m most familiar with always used pecans, but maybe that’s because I grew in an area where lots of pecans were grown.

    Comment by Tricia on 2/21/07 at 4:55 pm #
  3. Cybele's avatar

    Terry - as Tricia said, they’re supposed to look a bit like turtles (usually six pieces of pecan halves poking out - four legs, a tail and a head).

    Teacakes sound good!

    Tricia - I think the Titans from Sanders ended up looking more turtle-looking than the “real” turtles oddly enough. Hee!

    Comment by Cybele on 2/22/07 at 8:25 am #
  4. I hate the dark chocolate turtles they have created. I wonder if they are discontinuing the milk chocolate originals. I HOPE NOT. The other ones are awful.

    Comment by Suzanne on 4/05/07 at 8:16 am #
  5. Do you know where I can find a youtube video or mp3 of their old tv jingle ‘I love turtles’? It’s sung to the tune of I Love Funyuns. It goes something like ‘Turtles turtles rarara, turtles turtles hahaha, mmmmmm…. i love turtles!’

    I’ve been looking EVERYWHERE!!! Please help!

    Comment by Moogs on 9/14/07 at 10:38 pm #
  6. I still like Kathryn Beich’s Katydids best. They have the same ingredients as turtle’s but are, for some reason, MUCH better. the bummer is that they are only available for those school fundraisers.

    Comment by Breezy on 12/04/07 at 4:50 am #
  7. Since when did they begin putting cashews in Turtles?  I was about to purchase a box when I noticed they now have cashews.  I settled on a box of Worlds Finest…continental pecans, roasted pecans coated in milk chocolate.  They kind of held down the craving but need my turtle fix and now have to find some See’s.

    Comment by Camellio Contreras on 12/04/07 at 8:54 am #
  8. I don’t know when they started to put cashews in Turtles but they taste horrible!

    I use to look forward to Turtles chocolate at Christmas but no more.  The cashews just do not work with the pecans but they are probably cheaper.

    I haven’t found a replacement yet.

    Comment by Lou Tate on 12/07/07 at 5:35 pm #
  9. Nestle Turtles used to be my favourite chocolate…. but I think they’ve changed their recipe…
    1) the caramel used to be MUCH more chewy… if you ate too many, your jaw would get sore
    2) they used to contain ONLY pecans… no cashews

    I liked the old version WAY better…. I’m not sure exactly when they changed, but I don’t really like them that much any more….

    Comment by S on 12/27/07 at 1:35 pm #
  10. I noticed over Thanksgiving that there are cashews in the turtles, now. I LOVE cashews.. but not in this candy. YUCK! My guess is they are cheaper? I hope they change it back, although the actual chocolate is a bit sub par anyway..

    Comment by Melissa on 12/29/07 at 4:46 pm #
  11. I’d like to thank the Nestie company for coming out with Turtles (no sugar added). I am a diabetic and this year I was able to enjoy the candy like everyone else.
    Again, Thanks!

    Comment by Diann Pynn on 1/15/08 at 7:46 am #
  12. I hate the “new” turtles. I want the old turtles back. Cashews just dont work.

    Comment by robert on 2/28/08 at 6:14 pm #
  13. I hate Turtles. Every time I eat one it’s like candy with walnuts in it. I always pick the one that was ‘bad’. I end up with this wicked chalky bitter rotten nut taste in my mouth.

    Comment by Kristene on 3/03/08 at 7:48 pm #
  14. The best brand I have ever eaten of this type of candy comes from here:
    http://mascotpe.server319.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=clusters&osCsid=ccf36739d468a0bbbcd6c4e24c5d8aef

    Inside the bags the pieces come individually wrapped. I love these things and can’t stop eating them when I have any!

    Comment by Debbie Reece on 3/05/08 at 10:40 pm #
  15. Cashews in turtles??????? WHATS NEXT FLYING PIGS???????? Cashews in turtles what a horrible idea!

    Comment by Candy Lover on 7/11/08 at 3:19 am #
  16. DeMet’s evedently has taken over the production on the old style Turtles from Nestles. Instead of the carmel being soft like the old ones, it’s now hard, almost stale. I hope they change, but until they do, I refuse to buy them.

    Larry

    Comment by Larry on 1/08/09 at 3:15 am #
  17. Ok, I just disappointedly finished eating a 3-pack of DeMets Turtles (purchased for $1.59 from a Circle K in Arizona). Let me start by saying that yesterday I had purchased a pack of Nestles Turtles (from the same Circle K for the same cost). The store had the DeMets & Nestles Turtles all mixed in the same box, so I decided to compare the wrappers. The only difference I saw was that the Nestles Turtles had cashews & pecans, whereas the DeMets Turtles only had pecans. After eating them both, I enjoyed the Nestles version MUCH more. But, for those of you that do not enjoy cashews, DeMets may just be your way to go… I’m very surprised at how many of you do not like cashews and feel that pecans are of a higher/pricier quality. Cashews are just as expensive as pecans, so it definitely isn’t a money saving tactic. As I stated above, I’d choose the cashew & pecan combo over the solo pecans any day. So, just in case an individual from the ‘Turtles’ board is reviewing this ‘blog’ - don’t lose the cashews! We love ‘em!

    Thanks,
    Turtle Lover =) <3

    Comment by Tiffany on 4/21/09 at 5:50 pm #
  18. Nestle Turtles are not turtles.

    Comment by Turtle Turtle on 10/28/09 at 1:35 pm #
  19. All the turtles here, including Sees are ok, perfect for a fix. BUT THE BEST, I mean *THE BEST* turtles are the Godiva turtles. The caramel is so rich and perfect, and the chocolate is to die for. They are only sold in Godiva retail stores, so I didn’t know about them until recently. They are the very very very best, I cannot exaggerate this enough!

    Comment by mitmu on 2/14/10 at 2:48 pm #
  20. I love turtles. Original and cashew. They are my favorite chocolates. Yay, go turtles!

    Comment by Sheila on 3/11/10 at 7:21 pm #
  21. I’d agree that Godiva makes the best substitute for the Kathryn Beich turtles. DeMets are cheap, caramel too dense to be enjoyable and unappealing chocolate. If you ever had Katydids years ago you’d agree.

    Comment by lollie on 12/12/10 at 2:44 pm #
  22. If there’s a manufacturer who could replicate the Katydids of yesterday they’d make a MINT!

    Comment by lollie on 12/12/10 at 2:46 pm #
  23. DeMet’s makes all Turtles both for them selves and nestley there is no difference i work there we also make them for costco under the kirkland brand Turles are made with pecans , cashews , macadamias , hazlenuts and a mixed nut combo

    Comment by lori on 3/05/11 at 7:42 pm #
  24. Turtles went back to their “Original” recipe since my last posting of 12/04/07.  Prior to this time I was buying Millionaires and they are awesome but they retail close to $9 a box and the Original Turtles are less than half the cost, so I can satisfy the craving for less and then occasionally treat myself to a box of Millionair’s.  Thanks Turtles.

    Comment by Camellio Contreras on 11/11/11 at 10:16 am #
  25. I’m happy to report that Turtles taste good again. I was so upset when they changed the recipe because the packaging was identical and only the ingredient list indicated that they had messed with a classic. However, from the first bite I knew something was different. I didn’t buy them again until a couple of days ago and I’m glad that they are back to their former deliciousness.

    Comment by Anessa on 12/05/11 at 1:06 pm #
  26. I’m wondering if anyone can confirm there is even chocolate in these anymore. Nowhere on the box does it it even MENTION chocolate. Also, the ingredients do not list (as most real chocolate candies do) : Milk Chocolate(then chocolate ingredients in parenthesis)

    http://products.nestle.ca/en/brands/chocolates/turtles/turtles.aspx

    I find it really sneaky how they’ve added a “Share the joy. Chocolate is one of life’s little pleasures, enjoy along with a healthy, balanced diet.” on their website. I feel like this is just a lame way to cram in the word “chocolate” on a page where it wouldn’t be shown otherwise. I’m pretty certain “modified palm oil” cannot be an ingredient on chocolate.

    Anyone?

    Comment by Curious on 12/27/14 at 7:53 pm #
  27. Where do I start ..I purchased at tin of turtles as a Santa gift. When she opened it to share I was very, very, very disappointed with the size ...I thought a first I had purchased a mini size… Well these were the size of a quarter (I measured it) I was so embarrassed. Not only they were tiny, they were small flat disks.. No “legs’ to break off and enjoy.  I was so shocked.  Disappointed in the company (Nestle)  .. Ticked off to say the least as I paid 13.99 plus 14% tax (the Santa gifts were to be under $15.00). they were on sale at that. So I’m telling you and all my friends incl fb this true story so they don’t make the same mistake I did and buy something else when Valentines Day comes round. Signed ...Teresa Child never again.

    Comment by Teresa Child on 12/27/15 at 11:31 pm #
  28. Where do I begin.. Purchased a tin of turtles as a secret Santa gift. When she opened it I couldn’t believe my eyes… They were the size of a quarter. (I measured them). I was so embarrassed. .. Surprised at the depth as. they looked like small chocolate flat disks.  I paid $13.99 plus 14% sales tax… The Santa gifts were limited to $15.00.  I’m not happy to say the least ..so I’m telling everyone including Facebook friends and ‘word of mouth’ of my experience and not to buy turtles for Valentines Day gift ... Shame on Nestle for shrinking their well known brand .  Shame on them.

    Comment by Teresa Child on 12/27/15 at 11:47 pm #
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