Turtles are pretty cool, and I like the fact that people are trying to save the Sea Turtle.
I also like to eat turtles--the candy variety.
In one of my last posts, I gave the recipe for toffee, with chocolate on both sides, which is really, really good.
Sometimes though, I make candy turtles. You know the caramel, pecan, and chocolate kind--you've probably eaten one or two.
I make my own salted caramel sauce to put on ice cream, so it is easy to boil it a little longer to make a thicker consistency as in caramel chews. The link <above> to make caramel on David Lebovitz's site is very informative. The consistency needs to be the same as what is put on caramel apples. If you don't want to make your own caramel from scratch, you can buy the ones in bags in the candy aisle of the grocery store. Unwrap them, and heat them so they are melted and soft (usually done in a double boiler).
The recipe I use to make the caramel sauce is below. ***At step four, after adding the cream, cook it longer so it will become thicker for chewy caramel. This may take 5 minutes or more....you may have to try it a few times for the right consistency. Drop a little on a cold plate, then roll in your fingers and take a bite.
Click here for recipe
To put together the turtles, have ready, roasted salted pecans, warmed caramel, and warmed chocolate. When I say warmed I mean it should be thin and fluid, but as it cools down it will harden a bit.
Arrange a parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place a teaspoonful of caramel on the paper, then place 3 pecans into the soft caramel so they overhang on the outside, next, put a swirl of melted chocolate on top of the pecans making sure to center it so that the edges of the pecans are still showing. Place as many as will fit onto the size of the baking pan, or as many as you can make with your caramel and chocolate. I make small batches of 10 to 15, but you can decide what you want.
Let the turtles cool and solidify to the point where they can be picked up. Store them in a covered tin or in a sealed plastic bag. These can be frozen, or refrigerated, to be used later. They will have to come to room temperature to be eaten.
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| they should look like these when you are done |
Sometimes, when I want more chocolate, I start with chocolate on the bottom, then add the caramel, pecans, and chocolate. The end product is about 2 inches in diameter, big enough to get 2-3 small bites out of each one.
The turtles are easy to make and will impress your friends....if you don't devour them all yourself.
Hope your day is bright and cheery like mine,
I have lots of snow now but the sun is shining brightly. (and my snow removal crew has been here too!)
Mem
