Chocolate Turtles Recipe

**Disclaimer:  This is not an original recipe and I do not claim ownership of it.  However, I don't know who to give credit to…my grandmother makes it this way and I've never seen her use a recipe…just sayin'!

Ok!  This is the time of year that I usually make Christmas candy.  There is so much going on Christmas-wise starting the very first week of December and I typically find myself making more than one batch before it is all over.  These turtles are pretty easy to make and they are amazingly delicious so I just thought I'd share!

Here are the ingredients, plus one T. of milk.  You will also need foil, softened butter (for foil), and wax paper.

I find that the caramel squares work much better than the little caramel bites that you can find in the baking isle.  The bites don't harden enough and stick to the fork when it is time to dip them in the chocolate.  This chocolate is the best to use.  I have tried it with the Ghirardelli chocolate chips, other brands of chocolate chips, Hershey bars on one desperate occasion, chocolate bark, and none of them work as well as the Ghirardelli CANDY MAKING & DIPPING chocolate.  I have only been able to find this at Sam's Club and this is the first year I've seen them in wafers, in the past it has come in a huge flat block.  

The first thing I do is set my oven to 350 degrees and "roast" the pecans for 5-7 minutes.  You want to make sure an watch them closely so they do not burn.  You can also put them in the microwave in a glass bowl (that is how my grandmother does it) but the times I've tried, I've burned them.  The amount of pecans you use really depends on preference.  Some people like more pecans, while others don't so I always eyeball it, put whatever is left over in a ziploc bag until I make another batch.  While those are roasting, unwrap your caramel squares and put them in a microwave save bowl.  I used 2 bags like the one shown above.  Then you add the milk.  Make room on your counter or table for spreading out your foil.  This is what you will spoon the caramel onto once mixed with your pecans.  You will need to butter your foil as well.  I have tried wax paper for this part of the process but even buttered, it often sticks to the bottom of the candy and is really hard to get off.  Foil works best and I am generous with the butter.

Once your pecans are done, chop them up.  A food processor will pulverize them into dust so use a knife to do this.  Once again, it is your preference as to how finely you want them chopped.  I like them a little chunky.  Melt your caramel at 30 second intervals until smooth and creamy, then immediately add your pecans.  It doesn't take long for the caramel to stiffen, causing it to be more difficult to spoon onto your foil.  If this happens, you can reheat it for a few seconds but the more you reheat it, the greater the risk of burning it and your pecans. 

Mix your pecans and caramel together and stir until well mixed.  Then start spooning the mixture onto your buttered foil.  You can make your turtles as small or large as you want.  Two bags of caramels, for me, make about 36 turtles.  The caramel gets really hot and really sticky so for this process I use 2 spoons so that I don't have to actually touch any of it. 

While those are hardening on your counter, melt 2 cups of the chocolate wafers in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted and smooth.  In Louisiana, where it is sometimes 81 degrees even in December (a.k.a. yesterday), refrigerating your candy might be beneficial.  Luckily for me, I did not have to refrigerate them this time.  

(sorry for this ugly pic)

Once your chocolate is melted and your caramel turtles are hard enough to lift from the foil without bending or sticking to your fingers (much), you are ready to dip.  Using a fork, dip one turtle at a time, then place on wax paper so cool.  The chocolate usually hardens with a pretty glossy sheen to it, which is another reason this brand works so well.  However, depending on the warmth of your house, sometimes that shine isn't so apparent.  I had to stick these in my fridge because even once they were done, when I touched them, they smudged.

And that is it!  They are delicious!  People ask me all the time how to make them or if I'm making them again each year.  And I know all of my rambling probably makes it seem difficult but once you make them one time, you'll be a pro.  I just wanted to make sure I included all my little tips and tricks because I've made many a batch!  And, in my opinion, I learned from the best…my grandmother is my cooking/baking role model (and I don't even slightly compare ha)!