Chocolate Pecan Turtle Clusters
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups pecans
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- ½ of a 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 12-ounce package milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp. butter flavored Crisco
Instructions
To prepare the pecans:
- Toss 2 1/2cups of pecans into a large skillet.
- Toast them over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until they have darkened just a bit and smell fragrant and wonderful; should only take a few minutes
- Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- On the cookie sheets, arrange the pecans into clusters; three to a group works well.
- Leave some space, about an inch, between each cluster.
To prepare the caramel:
- Place 1/2 cup butter into a medium-sized sauce pan.
- Melt over medium high heat.
- Add 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup and 7 oz. sweetened condensed milk to the pan.
- Increase the heat just a bit and stir continually.
- Cook and stir until temperature 235°F – 240°F.
- It is generally safe to remove from the heat when temperature reaches about 234°F.
- It will continue to rise in temperature just a bit even without the direct heat, making the caramel just the right texture.
- Stir in1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
To assemble the chocolate pecan turtle clusters
- Carefully drizzle about 1 1/2 teaspoons of caramel over each nut cluster.
- Work quickly, as the caramel will begin to set up.
- Be sure there is caramel touching all of the nuts in your cluster.
- The caramel works like glue, sticking the nuts together.
- In a microwave safe bowl, pour 12 oz. milk chocolate chips.
- Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each cooking interval.
- Once chocolate chips are melted, remove from microwave and add 1/2 teaspoon of shortening to the melted chocolate.
- Allow to sit for a minute or two so it can melt and make the chocolate chips more spreadable; stir it all together.
- Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of melted chocolate over the top of the caramel and nuts.
- Swirl it around along the top making a pretty swoop with your spoon.
- Allow the chocolate to set up.
- Once it has hardened and cooled you can serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container.