If you like Turtles, the iconic Christmas treat, then you will LOVE these homemade chocolate turtles with bacon. They are made with crunchy pecans coated in caramel and then topped with crispy bacon and dark chocolate. They're ideal on a holiday dessert tray and make excellent gifts!
Ingredients
½ cupbutter
½ cuplight corn syrup
1cupsbrown sugar
½ tincondensed milk
5ouncespecan halves
½ lbbacon, cooked crispy
8ouncessemisweet chocolate
3tablespoonsbutter
Instructions
For the caramel
Add the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and condensed milk to a heavy-bottomed saucepan with high sides. Start with the heat on high until it is boiling, and then reduce the heat to medium. Stir constantly for approximately 15 minutes, or until the caramel reaches 235 degrees Fahrenheit. One way to test this is to drop a bit of the caramel into cold water. If it forms a soft ball, then it is ready. This is known as the 'soft ball stage'. Let the caramel cool for about an hour. It should still be warm but not hot.
½ cup butter, ½ cup light corn syrup, 1 cups brown sugar, ½ tin condensed milk
Assemble the turtles
Arrange pecans to resemble turtles – one for the head and two for the feet – on parchment paper. Roll small balls of the caramel and place in the center of the pecans, squishing gently into place. Cover the caramel with a piece of cooked bacon. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
5 ounces pecan halves, ½ lb bacon
For the chocolate
Gently melt chocolate and butter over low heat until just melted. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Hold the turtle by the head and spoon the chocolate over top. Place the turtles back onto the parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with medium course sea salt. Put them back into the fridge to harden the chocolate.
These little guys freeze really well. And they make perfect gifts, tooYou can use quite a bit of caramel on each turtle. If you have any caramel leftover, form it into little squares and enjoy it as candy!