candy - Caramel Pecan Turtle Clusters

By tinathorn

Ingredients

• For the pecans
• 16 ounces pecan halves
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• For the caramel
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the chocolate coating
• 12 ounces good-quality semisweet or milk chocolate (not chips), roughly chopped

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from thekitchn.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the pecans, preheat oven to 350°F. Toss pecan halves with melted butter and kosher salt and spread onto a large sheet pan. Toast the pecans, stirring halfway through cooking, until fragrant and golden, about 10 minutes; set aside until cool enough to handle.

For the caramel, combine the cream, sugars, and corn syrup in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan and whisk until incorporated. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.

DO NOT STIR

the mixture after it comes to a boil; if necessary, dip a pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pot to remove any sugar stuck to the sides. Continue boiling the mixture until it reaches 250°F on an instant read thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in butter and vanilla.

To melt and temper the chocolate coating, prepare a double boiler or set a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water. Add approximately 3/4 of the chocolate (the remainder will get added in after the initial heating) to the top of the boiler. Melt the chocolate, stirring often, until it reaches the following temperature(s) on an instant read thermometer — and immediately remove from the heat. Add the reserved chocolate and continue stirring until the temperature drops to the following:

Return the chocolate to the boiler and heat on low until the temperature rises back up to 90°F, watching carefully to make sure the chocolate does not 116 to 120°F for semisweet; 110 to 112°F for milk chocolate — and immediately remove from the heat. Add the reserved chocolate and continue stirring until the temperature drops to the following: 82 to 86°F for semisweet; 80 to 84°F for milk chocolate. Return the chocolate to the boiler and heat on low until the temperature rises back up to 90°F, watching carefully to make sure the chocolate does not exceed the temperature.

Drizzle the tempered chocolate (or transfer to a disposable pastry bag and pipe) over the pecan clusters. Set aside in a cool place to set. Turtles will keep for up to two weeks, stored between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature.

Like most candies with caramel, turtle clusters are fairly sticky, so before placing them in the glassine gift bags, I made makeshift "pouches" by stapling together a rectangular strip of wax paper around each turtle; this keeps the turtles from sticking to each other and from messing up the gift bag.

I always have bittersweet chips on hand. Many home cooks don't have access to much else (especially cost-effective options--have you looked at how expensive a block of quality chocolate is?). And, frankly, I've never had trouble using chocolate chips for holiday candy, dipping, or any other non-baking use, and I've worked as a chocolatier with the "real deal," if you will. If you want to cut the sweetness of your chips, add a touch of salt, work with unsweetened ingredients, or mix milk and bitter chocolate chips.

If the quality is extremely important for what you're making, and particularly if you're making a minimalist chocolate truffle or relying on the chocolate to impart most of the flavor, then go ahead and track down the chocolate of your dreams. Otherwise, this "never use the thing that's available to you!" rule is silly, arbitrary, and makes recipes seem out of reach, preventing people from rolling up their sleeves and getting dirty in the kitchen!