Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Pecan Turtles

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups Dickey Farms pecans, halved

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

8 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

For Pecans:

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 6 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through baking.

Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

For Dark Chocolate Pecan Turtles:

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper with non-stick spray.

Arrange toasted pecans on the prepared sheets in star shaped groups of 5. Set aside until needed.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Once melted, add in granulated sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 235°F on your candy thermometer (about 8 minutes). Remove from heat and vigorously whisk the mixture for 30 seconds. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Using a medium cookie scoop, spool level mounds of caramel over each nut cluster, aiming to drop in the center of cluster. Set aside while you melt your chocolate.

Fill a medium pot 1/3 full of water and bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Place a heatproof bowl that will fit on top of the pan snugly, but not touch the simmering water,  on top of the pan. Reduce the heat to low and add the chopped chocolate into the bowl over the pot. Heat until fully melted, stirring occasionally with a silicon spatula. Carefully remove bowl from heat once mixture is smooth.

Spoon about a tbsp of the melted chocolate over each cluster, and aim to drop in the center. Set aside, at room temperature, until the chocolate has set (about 1 hour). 

Enjoy!