Fantastic Turtles with Homemade Caramel

Turtles with homemade caramel are really

easy to make and give that WOW factor

for a nice gift.

Lots of my friends prefer nuts and chews to the

cream centers so turtles are a great choice for them.

Easy Homemade Caramel Recipe

1 C. melted butter

1 C. light corn syrup

2 C. brown sugar

1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Before you begin any candy recipe, you should

calibrate your thermometer.  In the mountains here,

it is going to boil at a different temperature than at

sea level.  Mine boils at 200 and water should boil

at 212, so I must subtract 12 degrees off any recipe

I make.

In a heavy saucepan, mix the above.  Bring to a boil,

stirring constantly on medium high.  Turn the heat down

and keep it on low to keep the caramel from scorching.

After it comes to a boil wash down the sides of the

pan with a pastry brush and water (to catch any 

undissolved sugar).  

When the candy reaches 238 (sea level - so I cooked

 mine to 226) pull it off the heat and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.

Pour into a buttered pan for caramels that you

cut and dip or spoon onto a pan of nuts that

you want to make into turtles.

Top with melted chocolate.  I use dipping chocolate

but you need to melt it and then let it cool to about

90 degrees, stirring in between each few.  If you don't

let it cool and then stir it constantly it will streak.

Get a little instant read thermometer to make sure

that it is cool enough.  Also you should work with

dipping chocolate in a room that is between 65 and70

degrees.

(I usually use Peters, Guittard or Merckens dipping

chocolate.  It can be purchased online if you don't

have any specialty stores that sell it.)

You can also top it with chocolate molding discs

if you don't want to mess with real chocolate.  It

won't taste as good, but the newer discs are pretty

good.  Chocolate chips work too with just a touch

of shortening - which helps it from streaking, but

still cool it.  

Put it in a pretty box with colored

tissue for a great presentation.

Fill a parchment paper lined 

cookie sheet with broken pecan

pieces.  Spoon the hot caramel by soup

spoonfuls onto the nuts leaving space between.

I have never done this before, but I decided to use

a small round cookie cutter to make the turtles

into a perfect round shape.

I love how they look perfectly round!

You can either top the turtles with chocolate or

you can dip the entire turtle.  I do both but today

I just spooned and swirled chocolate on the tops.

Now I want to show my beautiful

bangle bracelets that I received

this week in the mail from Marsha

at 

Splenderosa.

Marsha designs and sells exquisite jewelry

and she had a giveaway.  I got to choose which

color of stone I wanted.  I have worn them

every day!  

They are dressy but look great

with a sweater or leather jacket and jeans.

Visit Marsha's stylish blog and Etsy shop.

There is something for all price ranges.

 She always has

the latest in fashion and everything is just a 

visual delight.

I will be posting this with

Weekend Wrapup

Sweets for a Saturday

Pink Saturday

Foodie Friday

Seasonal Sunday