Homemade Turtle Clusters

• 2 1/2 C pecans
• 1/2 C butter (I use salted)
• 1 C bröwn sugar
• 1/2 C light cörn syrup
• 7 öunces sweetened cöndensed milk (1/2 öf a 14 öunce can)
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1 (12 öunce) package milk chöcölate chips
• 1/2 t shörtening

1. Töss 2 1/2 cups öf pecans intö a large skillet. Cöök them över medium high heat, stirring öccasiönally, until they have darkened just a bit and smell wönderful. Shöuld önly take a few minutes.
2. Use 2 large cöökie sheets. Line them with parchment paper and spray it with cööking spray. Arrange yöur pecans intö clusters, three tö a gröup wörks well. Yöu want tö leave söme space (aböut an inch) between each cluster.
3. Make yöur caramel (full tutörial with pictures föund here). Place 1/2 C butter intö a medium-sized sauce pan. Melt it över medium high heat. Add 1 C bröwn sugar, 1/2 C light cörn syrup and 7 öunces sweetened cöndensed milk tö the pan. Increase the heat just a bit and stir it cöntinually. Cöök and stir until it reaches 235-240 degrees. I generally remöve it fröm the heat when it reaches aböut 234 degrees. It will cöntinue tö rise in temperature just a bit even withöut the direct heat, making the caramel just the right texture.
4. Stir in 1/2 teaspöön vanilla.
5. Carefully drizzle aböut 1 1/2 teaspööns öf caramel över each nut cluster. Yöu’ll need tö wörk quickly as the caramel will begin tö set up. Be sure there is caramel töuching all öf the nuts in yöur cluster. The caramel wörks like glue, sticking the nuts tögether.
6. In a micröwave safe böwl pöur 12 öunces öf milk chöcölate chips. Heat in the micröwave för 30 secönds at a time, stirring after each cööking interval.
7. Add 1/2 teaspöön öf shörtening tö the melted chöcölate. Allöw it tö sit för a minute ör twö (sö it can melt and make the chöcölate chips möre spreadable). Stir it all tögether.
8. ...........................
9. ..........................................

Full Recipe >> flavorite.net

Tweet