Chocolate Turtles
A very significant part of the inspiration behind my doing this series every year on the blog in the first place comes from growing up in my grandparents’ house and my memories of the holidays there.
Food is a personal thing for me, and cooking/baking food is even more personal because you’re providing sustenance and mere satisfaction to someone else, presumably someone else whom you care for. Most people who holiday bake, do so with the intention of giving it away to people they care about; it’s an act of love, which is really what the holidays should be about anyway.
All of that to say, my grandmother baked a lot during the holiday season, and so it always created this increased atmosphere of holiday giving and warmth and nostalgia that I try to recreate myself now every year now that I’m old enough and have discovered how much I love to bake. She pretty much did it all; cake, cookies, pie, peanut brittle, fudge, and another little nifty treat known as chocolate turtles.
For those who may be unfamiliar, chocolate turtles are a candy where pecans are mixed with a soft caramel, then dipped in chocolate. They’re VERY popular back where I come from in the Midwest, so much so that you can buy them much like you can buy a chocolate bar in a grocery store checkout line. Here on the West coast…not so much. So, my solution, as with a lot of things that I can’t find in stores out here is to just make it myself.
It may surprise you to know that the process for making chocolate turtles isn’t too complicated. There’s no need for candy thermometers, tempering, or any other complicated steps. You don’t have to use an oven to make them at all, since technically, you’re not ‘baking’ anything new. This really just comes down to assembly.
The most important things to stay on top of when making chocolate turtles are first of all, make sure you line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Not aluminum foil; parchment paper. Caramel is notoriously sticky, especially when it’s soft, and you will save yourself a lot of mess and frustration if you assemble these on parchment paper so as to ensure that they’ll actually come off when they’re set. Second, be diligent about ensuring that you’re not overheating the caramel in the microwave when softening it; don’t skip the step of pausing at the 30 second intervals to stir. That’s really about it. Enjoy y’all. One more day left in the 12 Days of Christmas. Any predictions on what we’ll close on?
Day 1: Orange Cranberry Buns
Day 2: Sausage Bread Pudding & Cranberry Sauce
Day 3: Sugar & Spice Crackers
Day 4: Cranberry Cookie Tart
Day 5: Spicy Gingerbread Sticks
Day 6: Reindeer Munch
Day 7: Jell-O Butter Cookies
Day 8: Gingerbread Blondies
Day 9: Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle
Day 10: “Berry” Christmas! Scones
Day 11: Chocolate Turtles
Recipe Courtesy of Averie Cooks Ingredients Directions Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray. Arrange pecan halves in small piles on the paper, about 1 inch apart, in bunches of about 4-5 pecan halves per pile. Try to make them overlap so that the caramel doesn’t seep through. In a glass measuring cup or microwaveable safe bowl, heat the soft caramels with a few tablespoons of the heavy cream or half & half for 3-4 minutes, pausing every thirty seconds to stir it so that they do not burn (This is important). You also may not need to let it go the full 3-4 minutes, you don’t want it to be liquid, you just need the caramel to be soft and loose enough to drizzle off the spoon, but still hold it’s shape around the nuts. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the caramel over each pecan pile and set aside for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt about 8 oz of the chocolate in another glass measuring cup or microwaveable safe bowl. Heat in 15 second increments until it’s smooth. (Melt the additional chocolate as is necessary.) Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of the melted chocolate over the caramel pecans, trying to ensure it encases the whole thing. If desired, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and the nonpareils over the turtles. Allow the turtles to firm up at room temperature (this will take several hours, I recommend letting them rest overnight). After an hour at room temp, you can place them in the fridge before serving, and to store.Chocolate Turtles
I grew up with a Mom who baked all year but she made special treats at Christmas from rum and bourbon balls to various cookies, fudge, etc. She also made appetizers like cheese balls, green stuffed olives surrounded by a baked cheese dough, and cocktail size meat balls for the parties she had and attended.
I have no more family so am alone for Christmas and in an area with no friends, so Christmas for me is just looking at the local lights and decorations. Perhaps the people you meet that don’t like Christmas are ones who lost someone over the holidays, live alone, etc as that makes the holidays challenging.
I understand. I didn’t mean to come across as flippant or insensitive to people who have genuine and understandable reasons to not like the holidays, or to feel sad when they come around.
I had a very rough holiday myself last year, I can only imagine how hard it is for those who only have painful memories and experiences attached to it. I wish that holiday spirit/cheer was something that could be transferred between people as easily as objects like presents or food; I’d be sending you as much of my own as I possibly could. I sincerely hope that your holiday is filled with some joy and peace. <3
Thanks so much. My only child has been estranged for over 13 years, so that ended Christmas for me. I didn’t experience your remarks as insensitive.