Simmer + Sauce's Chocolate Pecan Turtles

Simmer + Sauce's Chocolate Pecan Turtles

Recipe courtesy of Andrea Potischman of Simmer + Sauce. To read more about Andrea, visit her Community Roots feature HERE.

CHOCOLATE PECAN TURTLES

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups whole pecans

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

7 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12-ounce good quality milk chocolate

1/2 tablespoon unflavored coconut oil

DIRECTIONS

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, lightly oil and set aside.

Place the pecans in a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Lightly toast the pecans, shaking the pan constantly until fragrant and beginning to darken in color, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Once the pecans are cool enough to handle, arrange the pecans into clusters about 3-4 to a group leaving about 1-inch diameter around them. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, add the butter and place over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk. Raise the heat slightly and cook, stirring constantly unto the mixture has reaches about 235 degrees F on a cooking thermometer. Remove from the heat and mix in the vanilla.

Working quickly, use a tablespoon, place about 2 teaspoons of caramel over each arranged nut cluster, covering most of the pecans to get them to stick together. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second increments until melted. Add the coconut oil and mix well to blend. Place about 2 teaspoons of melted chocolate over the top of the caramel nut clusters.

Allow the turtles to cool and set before serving. Store in an airtight container.