Combine the water, sugar, sweetened condensed milk into a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the corn syrup and continue to stir. Always stir. Don't stop stirring.
When the mixture reaches 230 degrees F, add in the butter and continue stirring. While the caramel is reaching it's final temperature it will bubble up like crazy. Keep stirring. Eventually the
When the caramel reaches 243 degrees F, remove from heat. Add in vanilla extract and salt.
On a parchment lined baking sheet, scoop tablespoon sized dollops of the caramel onto the baking sheet. Press toasted pecans into the caramel blobs. Once you fill a sheet, place the cookie sheet in the fridge or preferably the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
For The Turtles
While the caramel is in the freezer, melt the chocolate. Take caramel out of the freezer and allow to set at room temperature for a minute or two.
Place frozen caramel blobs on a fork and dip into melted chocolate. When all sides are coated in chocolate, place finished turtle on parchment to dry.
Melt the colored melting wafers while the turtles are drying. Pour the melting wafers into a piping bag. Snip the very tip off of the piping bag and pipe stripes over the top of the turtle.
Notes
Freezing the caramel blobs for a few minutes will make it easier to dip the caramel into the chocolate. If you need a refresher, here is how to toast pecans and how to melt chocolate in the microwave.Putting stripes on the top are not necessary but they do sort of finish the look