Turtles Recipes

PECAN TURTLES

Steps:

• Line baking sheets with waxed paper; lightly coat with cooking spray and set aside. Butter the sides of a heavy saucepan with 1 teaspoon butter. Cube remaining butter; place in pan. Add the corn syrup, brown sugar and salt. Cook and stir until sugar is melted., Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 248° (firm-ball stage), about 16 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Gently stir in pecans. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 12 minutes. , In a microwave, melt chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over clusters. Chill until firm. Store in the refrigerator.

HOMEMADE TURTLES

Steps:

• Line two baking sheets or large platters with parchment paper. It's helpful if they will fit in either fridge or freezer.
• Make small piles of pecans, using 5 to 6 pieces per pile. Overlap the pecans some to reduce gaps so the caramel doesn't seep through.
• In a medium microwave-safe bowl, add the caramels, half of the cream (reserve the remainder), and heat on high power to melt. It will probably take about 3 to 4 minutes total, but you must stop and stir the mixture every 30 seconds so you don't burn it. Alternatively, you can melt caramels on the stove over low heat, using caution and stirring frequently. **(see notes below on melting the caramels)
• Add about 1 tablespoon caramel to the top of each pecan pile; set aside.
• In a medium microwave-safe bowl, add 8 ounces chocolate and heat to melt, about 1 minute on high power. Heat in 15-second increments until chocolate can be stirred smooth. I prefer working in smaller batches with chocolate and recommend doing the same and not heating all 16 ounces at once; melt additional chocolate as necessary.
• Add about 2 tablespoons chocolate to the top of each pecan cluster by dolloping it on top and letting it fall down the sides.
• Optionally add a pinch of sea salt to each Turtle.
• Allow Turtles to firm up at room temp (will take many hours) or in the fridge or freezer (about 15 minutes) before serving.

CHOCOLATE TURTLES® (THE CANDY)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Arrange pecans on a baking sheet.
• Bake pecans in the preheated oven until fragrant and lightly browned, 7 minutes.
• Melt chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; grease with butter.
• Combine caramels, water, and butter in a saucepan over low heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted and smooth. Fold in pecans.
• Drop caramel mixture by the spoonful onto the prepared baking sheet. Allow to cool and harden.
• Drizzle chocolate over caramel nut clusters. Refrigerate to set, about 1 hour.

CHRISTMAS TURTLES® CANDIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Cover cookies sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side exposed. Lightly grease foil with vegetable oil spray.
• Place 3 pecan halves in a Y shape on the foil. Place 1 caramel candy in the center of each Y. Bake just until caramel is melted, about 9 to 10 minutes.
• Heat shortening and chocolate chips over low heat just until chocolate is melted. Spread over candies and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

TURTLES

Steps:

• Butter heavy saucepan, melt butter or margarine, stir in brown sugar, stir thoroughly, stir in corn syrup stirring thoroughly.
• Gradually add the condensed milk stirring constantly until all sugar dissolves and mixture comes to boiling.
• Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture registers 235°F on candy thermometer.
• Cool and stir in vanilla.
• Chill.
• Caramel should be slightly sticky.
• Toast pecans in a 300°F oven for 15 or 20 minutes.
• Cool.
• Arrange pecans on cookie sheet spoke fashion, four for legs and one for head.
• Drop one teaspoon of caramel mix in center of pecans.
• Chill.
• Melt chocolate wafers and spoon over caramel.
• Chill.
• Turn over and do the other side with chocolate.
• Chill.

CHOCOLATE COVERED TURTLES

Steps:

• Generously butter 2 baking sheets.
• On the baking sheets, arrange the pecan halves in snowflake-shaped clusters of 5 pecans each, overlapping the nuts in the center, leaving 2 inches of space between each.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the evaporated milk, the corn syrup, and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk and the 4 tablespoons butter, and cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches the soft ball stage, 240 degrees F. Stir in the vanilla and remove from the heat. Let cool to 200 degrees F.
• Using a tablespoon, spoon caramel on top of each nut cluster and let harden. (If the caramel becomes too stiff to pour, return to low heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until it returns to the proper consistency.)
• To make the chocolate coating, in the top of a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, combine 6 ounces of the chocolate and the shortening. Melt over low heat, stirring, until it reaches 116 to 118 degrees F, or feels fairly warm but not hot to the touch.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate. Continue stirring until the chocolate reaches 80 degrees F or feels cool to the touch. Return to low heat and cook, stirring, until the temperature rises to 85 to 87 degrees F, or feels barely cool. Remove from the heat.
• Drizzle 1 tablespoon of tempered chocolate over each cluster. Set aside in a cool place to harden. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, with waxed paper separating the layers to prevent sticking.

EASY TURTLES

Steps:

• Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2-1/2 to 3 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Cool.
• Meanwhile, place nuts in mounded groupings of about 3 nuts each into 36 clusters, about 3 inches apart, on parchment-covered baking sheet.
• Spoon about 2 tsp. caramel sauce over center of each nut cluster. (Caramel sauce should "glue" the clusters together.)
• Freeze 15 min. or until caramel sauce is firm.
• Melt chocolate as directed on package. Dip nut clusters, 1 at a time, into chocolate, turning to completely coat nuts. Return to baking sheet. Refrigerate 15 min. or until chocolate is firm.

TURTLE CANDIES

Steps:

• On waxed paper-lined baking sheets, arrange pecans in small clusters of four to five pecans each. , For caramel, in a small saucepan, combine the milk, corn syrup and sugars. Cook and stir over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage). Remove from the heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Working quickly, spoon caramel onto pecan clusters. Let stand until set. , In a microwave, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Spoon over caramel. Chill for 10 minutes or until set. Store in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE TURTLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease or spray bottom of 13x9-inch pan.
• Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour half of the batter into pan. Bake 22 minutes. Refrigerate remaining batter.
• Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat caramels and evaporated milk over medium heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted. Stir in pecans. Pour caramel mixture over warm cake in pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Spread with remaining batter. Bake 25 to 28 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cool at least 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream, drizzle with toppings and sprinkle with pecans. Store loosely covered.