Making Turtles at Christmas is a tradition I have been doing since I needed a chair pulled up to the stove to help stir the caramel. It’s probably the “yummiest” tradition ever! I look forward to it every year! Not just for the finished product, (although it’s pretty great!) but for the time spent with my mom, my husband or my kids stirring the caramel, chopping up the chocolate block and dipping the turtles. There’s nothing like being up to your elbows in caramel and chocolate with the ones you love the most.
Now before you decide I must be some kind of expert at dipping chocolates — since I’ve been doing it before I owned my first training bra — let me set you straight. I am indeed an expert! I am an expert at EATING chocolate! NOT making chocolates. This post isn’t about getting an AMAZING looking, magazine cover worthy looking turtle. Turtles at my house are for enjoying the memories you make while making the turtles and are all about the TASTE! These turtles, although they might not make Martha Stewart proud, are DELICIOUS!
I’m sharing this recipe with you to help you understand why the chocolate/nut order has become one of my orders that MUST happen every year! Not only do I need my Guittard Milk Maxi chips for my baking, I need my 10 pound brick of Signature Chocolate to make my turtles! Click here for the chocolate/nut order form. Since I’m getting this post out late I’m extending the due date. If you haven’t placed your order yet, make sure I have it in hand by Monday morning at 10. Shhh… Don’t tell anyone!
To start you need to make a batch of caramel. This is the recipe I use. I can’t give anyone credit for it besides my mom. I’m not sure where she got it.
Caramel
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 cups white Karo syrup
- 1/2-pound salted butter (sweet cream)
- 2 cans evaporated milk
This is what the caramel looks like when it is ready to pour. Check out the color.
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Melt butter, add Karo and then sugar. Cook until boiling well. Add milk a little at a time so candy doesn’t stop boiling. Cook to a firm soft ball stage about 250 F. This candy must be stirred constantly using a flat bottomed wooden spatula or something similar. Pour into buttered cookie sheet (make sure you have your sheet buttered before you start the caramel!).
**This is a two-man job unless you have jumbo arm muscles.
This is what the caramel looks like at firm soft ball stage.
Turtles
- 1 Batch Caramel, see above
- 2 pounds pecan halves
- Dipping chocolate – I use Signature by Guittard
I call these “Easy” Turtles because instead of arranging the pecans to look like little turtles, I just put them in the pan and cut them into squares. I think I like mine better! They are super gooey and all things yummy! I also don’t have to curse the nuts when they don’t behave and stay in perfect turtle anatomy!
Pouring the caramel over the pecans.
Variation #1: Butter two cookie sheets (10.5” x 15.5”) Use old ones because the cookie sheets get cut marks on them. Spread one pound of pecans on each sheet, covering entire sheet but not overlapping the nuts. Pour one batch of caramel equally between 2 sheets, covering all the nuts. This variation makes a thinner turtle, about 1/2”
Variation #2: Butter one Half-sized baking pan (13” x 18”). Spread two pounds of pecans on pan (they will overlap). Cover the entire pan with one batch of caramel, covering all the nuts. This variation makes a thick turtle, about ¾ “
Let cool overnight in cool place. Cut into 1-inch squares and dip in melted dipping chocolate. Set on waxed paper until set.
Melting Chocolate
Set oven temperature to lowest setting (150-170). Put 12 oz – 16 oz of chocolate chunks (about the size of a small bouncy ball) in each of two oven proof bowls, pie plates, etc. Look for a dish that is shallow with enough room to work your chocolate in. Put them in the oven until melted, about 20 minutes. Stir, (don’t wait for chocolate to lose its form, it won’t). Stir the chocolate to cool it down before you start dipping. If the chocolate gets too cool while you are dipping you can put it back in the oven to reheat it. I like to work with a couple bowls of chocolate at a time so one can be melting, and I can be working with the other one. This way I’m not waiting for chocolate to melt in the middle of dipping.
Tempering chocolate is tricky, goggle it. There are several different articles and videos explaining the “why’s” and “how’s of tempering. Tempering chocolate is basically getting chocolate to the correct temperature before you dip your turtles so they have a good gloss when they dry. If you don’t temper your chocolate correctly, you will have white streaks on your turtles when they dry. They still taste AMAZING!!! Depending on how important the LOOK of the final product is to you, will determine how important tempering is to you. For me, I do my best. I do a pretty good job most of the time, but I still get the occasional white streak. NOT a big deal to me. Again, this is all about the TASTE for me! **If you want a great looking chocolate without having to worry about tempering, use a compound chocolate like Guittard Milk Chocolate Apeels. It is a good chocolate without all the fussiness 🙂
TADA!!! Pure Yumminess!!!
Drop a turtle into the chocolate. Using a dipping fork or tool, rotate the turtle in the chocolate until it’s completely covered. Lift the turtle out of the chocolate with your tool and tap it to remove excess chocolate. Place on waxed paper to cool. Store in a cool dry place.
I hope this post gives you the courage to spread your wings and try something new. If you haven’t made candy or dipped chocolates before, try it! It’s fun! Start a new tradition. You don’t have to be an expert to make these turtles and believe me, no one will turn down the finished product!
