Unwrap caramels and place on microwavable plate with a little space between them.

Put in microwave for 5-10 seconds. I recommend no more than 12 caramels at a time.

Check softness. They should be just soft enough to flatten with your fingers. If not, microwave at 5 second intervals until desired softness is reached. If they cook too long they will harden. They can also be softened via any heat producing device. Oven, stove top, heat vent...blow dryer perhaps?

Flatten caramels with fingers.

Place (approximately a spoonful of) walnuts in centers of flattened caramels. Chopped nuts work best but any size or type will work.

Wrap edges of caramels around the walnuts so the nuts won't fall out. If you prefer to not enclose the walnuts with the caramel you can also press them together. The idea is to have some kind of cluster consisting of caramel and nuts. (*For extra large turtles, sanwhich two spoonfulls of nuts with 2 caramels*).

Melt chocolate. If you have a chocolate melter then follow its instructions and move on to step 8. If not then read on. A special chocolate melting device is optional. Personally, I use an electric griddle (with the temperature set just below 200º), with glass casserole dishes on it (filled with a shallow 1/2 inch of water), and small, glass sauce bowls (I found at dollar tree, 4 for a $1) in the casserole dishes (water will rise when bowls are placed in it so don't overfill). They combine to become a makeshift double boiler that allows me to melt multiple chocolate varieties and colors simultaneously. Only one variety is necessary for the purposes of this recipe unless you plan to get fancy. Anything that warms up slowly and heats at a low temperature will work. I've even seen people use the hot plate of their coffee machine. You can even use a microwave however, no 2 microwaves are the same so I suggest researching that method first. I personally found the microwave to be more diffic

Dip caramel nut clusters into chocolate. You can use skewers, toothpicks, or just a spoon (though the spoon method is messier). Whatever you use, the object is to completely submerge the cluster in the chocolate. If you use a small shallow dish you will have to make a few, then add more wafers and wait for them to melt. If you use a tall narrow container they will be easier to submerge but not so easy to dip and retrieve with a toothpick. The spoon metjod, though messy is convenient when the chocolate supply becomes diminished. You can use it to scrape the sides and pour the chocolate over the top of the cluster when the remaining melt is too shallow for submersion.

Place clusters on parchment/wax paper. The parchment paper should be layed out on a cookie sheet or plate for transport.

Once plate is full put it in the freezer so the chocolate hardens. Leave clusters in freezer for a minimum of 5 minutes. 10-15 minutes is ideal for most chocolate varieties but they can be left in the freezer for a few hours without harming them.

Remove from freezer and serve. If they were in the freezer for more than an hour the centers may be too hard to eat. Let them warm to room temperature before serving or storing in the refrigerator. They do not need to be refrigerated however. A sealable container or plastc bag is sufficient for storing. They keep for quite a long time unlike other treats such as cookies.