2 1/2 C pecans1/2 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)
How to make it :
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.