Best Ever Homemade Salted Caramel Turtles
2 cups pecan halves
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
additional butter
1 cup granulated sugar**
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed**
1/2 cup light corn syrup**
1/2 cup heavy cream**
1 cup milk**
1/4 cup butter**
1 teaspoon vanilla**
8 ounces dark or milk chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter flavored or plain shortening
**Shortcut: omit all of the starred ingredients and substitute with 25 individually wrapped Kraft caramels.
Method:
Preheat oven to 300*. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Place pecan halves on foil. Cut butter into small pieces and dot on top of pecans. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and gently stir to turn the pecans. Return to oven and continue baking for another 7 to 10 minutes, being care to not over brown the nuts. Set aside to cool.
Line an 8 inch square pan with foil. Lightly grease foil with butter. In a 2 1/2 quart (large) saucepan combine sugars, corn syrup, cream, milk and butter. Stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until ingredients are blended. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, to firm ball stage (248*), about 35 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Cool for at least 30 minutes.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper with butter. Lift foil, with caramel, out of pan. Cut into 25 pieces. Roll into balls and place on parchment 2 inches apart. To make turtle head and feet, press 5 pecan halves into each caramel ball, an equal distance around the edge, lengthwise, with half of each pecan overhanging edge.
Method:
Preheat oven to 300*. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Place pecan halves on foil. Cut butter into small pieces and dot on top of pecans. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Ready to go into the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and gently stir to turn the pecans. Return to oven and continue baking for another 7 to 10 minutes, being care to not over brown the nuts. Set aside to cool.
Toasted Salted Pecans
Line an 8 inch square pan with foil. Lightly grease foil with butter. In a 2 1/2 quart (large) saucepan combine sugars, corn syrup, cream, milk and butter. Stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until ingredients are blended. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, to firm ball stage (248*), about 35 minutes.
Cooking caramel.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Cool for at least 30 minutes.
Cooling caramel.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper with butter. Lift foil, with caramel, out of pan. Cut into 25 pieces. Roll into balls and place on parchment 2 inches apart. To make turtle head and feet, press 5 pecan halves into each caramel ball, an equal distance around the edge, lengthwise, with half of each pecan overhanging edge.
**Shortcut Method: Preheat oven to 300*. Unwrap 25 caramels and set aside. Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil (shiny side up). Lightly grease with shortening or butter. Place 5 pecan halves on the sheet to make a head and four legs. Repeat until the sheet is filled. Place one caramel on top of each group of pecans. Bake just until the caramels are melted. (about 8 to 10 minutes) Proceed with chocolate topping.
Melt chocolate chips and shortening in a double-boiler, over hot, not boiling water. Spoon one tablespoon of melted chocolate over each caramel, covering surface, but leaving part of pecans showing. Refrigerate to allow the chocolate to harden slightly. Move to an airtight container, putting a layer of wax paper between each layer of turtles. Store in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
One finished tray of turtles.
Notes: My sister-in-law, Pam Henderson, and I made this recipe for the first time, in the early 1980's, in the kitchen of her Paradise, California Victorian Style home. (Any extra pecan halves can be used for a snack or to garnish a salad.)
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