Pecan Wilmarvel Hatchlings
Ever wonder about Chocolate Turtles – why they are named Turtles? The original confectionary Turtle resembled the reptile of the same name; with pecans as the legs, caramel for the soft body and chocolate for the shell. Turtles were developed in the San Francisco/Oakland area sometime in the late 1920-30′s by a couple who learned to make candy from Mary See of See’s Chocolates.
Somewhere along the way the product was trademarked and sold. Nestle Corporation owned it for a time and now Turtles are sold as a DeMet’s Candy Company product.
Which is why we’re feeling Wilmarvelous. The name turtle is a registered trademark, so you’ll notice that though almost all confectioner/candymakers make a turtle-like product there are many unique monikers for the delicious confection. Pecan Buds, Snappers, Tortoises, Tuttles are a few of the alternative names.
For us the name is Wilmarvels. Years ago we had a contest to name our January seasonal speciality which was a macadamia, caramel and chocolate concoction. Wilmarvel was our choice. Over the years the name has come to describe our original “turtle” and our cashew variety. To distinguish between the three varieties we use Pecan Wilmarvel, Cashew Wilmarvel and the Macadamia Wilmarvel (MacMarvel for short!).
It’s our MacMarvel Season now (early January through February, sometimes March). Pecan and Cashew Wilmarvels are always in season.
