CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PECAN TURTLES

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Turtles

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups whole pecans

• ½ cup butter

• 1 cup brown sugar

• ½ cup corn syrup

• Dash of salt

• ½ cup + 2 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk (half of a 14oz can)

• ½ tsp vanilla

• 1½ cups chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)

• ½ tsp vegetable oil or shortening

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes or till lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool. Arrange in clusters of 3-4 on silicone liners or parchment paper.

2 Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a 6 quart pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.

3 Continue cooking and stirring till mixture reaches 235-240 degrees. I like to use the ice water test, it's more accurate. Drop a small spoonful of the hot caramel into a bowl of ice water. When you take it out, you should be able to roll it into a ball. Then it's done.

4 Quickly spoon the caramel over the pecan clusters, making sure caramel is touching each of the pecans. Let sit to harden.

5 Melt the chocolate chips and oil in the microwave at half power, stirring often till smooth. Spoon chocolate on top of each layer of caramel. Let sit for 1-2 hours, or till hardened.