Chocolate Caramel & Pecan Turtle Clusters

By lisapearce

Perfectly toasted clusters of almonds are smothered in a sweet caramel and chocolate sauce. Absolutely delicious, enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups pecans
• 1/2 cup butter, salted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (12-ounce) package milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon shortening (or butter flavored shortening)

Preparation

Step 1

Toss pecans into a large skillet. Toast them over medium high heat for only a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have darkened just a bit and smell fragrant.

Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Arrange your pecans into clusters, three to a group works well. Leave about an inch between each cluster.

Make your caramel. Place butter into a medium-sized sauce pan. Melt it over medium high heat. Add brown sugar, light corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk to the pan. Increase the heat just a bit and stir it continually. Cook and stir until it reaches 235 to 240°F. Remove it from the heat when it 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 in vanilla.

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 ounces of milk chocolate chips. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each cooking interval.

Add shortening to the melted chocolate. Allow it 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 them immediately, or transfer them to an air tight container.

Enjoy!