CHOCOLATE PECAN TURTLE CLUSTERS

Ingredients

2 1/2 C pecans

1/2 C butter (I use salted)

1 C brown sugar

1/2 C light corn syrup

7 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1/2 of a 14 ounce can)

1/2 t vanilla

1 (12 ounce) package milk chocolate chips

1/2 t shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)

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Directions

1. Toss 2 1/2 cups 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

2. Find yourself 2 large cookie sheets. Line them with parchment paper and
spray it with cooking spray. Arrange your pecans into clusters, three to a
group works well. You want to leave some space (about an inch) between each
cluster.

3. Make your caramel (full tutorial with pictures found here). Place 1/2 C
butter into a medium-sized sauce pan. Melt it over medium high heat. Add 1 C
brown sugar, 1/2 C light corn syrup and 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk to
the pan. Increase the heat just a bit and stir it continually. Cook and stir
until it reaches 235-240 degrees. I generally remove it from the heat when it
reaches about 234 degrees. It will continue to rise in temperature just a bit
even without the direct heat, making the caramel just the right texture.

4. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

5. Carefully drizzle about 1 1/2 teaspoons of caramel over each nut
cluster. You’ll want to 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.

6. 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.

7. Add 1/2 teaspoon of 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.

8. 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.

9. 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!