Candy is so much easier than I had thought it was. I made these Chocolate Walnut Turtles (or clusters If you want to call them that) and they are so easy! I even made the caramel from scratch too. I always struggled with melting chocolate but these last two weeks everything has gone so well! Just follow the recipe below!

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Walnut Turtles

Ingredients:

  • 4 Cups of Walnut Halves (or large pieces work fine)
  • 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Cup Evaporated Milk
  • 1 Cup Light Corn Syrup
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 12 oz Bag of  Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 4-6 Teaspoons Shortening

Directions:

1. Arrange walnuts on parchment paper. About four walnut halves in each arrangement. It should be noted that Pecans work well for these too. I just happened to have a ton of walnuts leftover at my house!

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2. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter. Add the evaporate milk, corn syrup and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to stir at a boil until it reaches the soft ball stage or about 240 degrees Fahrenheit.

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3. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Let the temperature drop to about 80 degrees.

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4. Pour about 2 tablespoons full on to each set of walnuts. Make sure that you get a little bit of the caramel on all of the walnut pieces so that they get stuck together.

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5.Allow to cool. Once cooled they will be stuck to the paper. I found that before dipping them in chocolate it was easier to go through and scoop them up off the paper. That way I didn’t have to struggle with it while the chocolate was already hot. You may also shape them a little better so that they are easier to dip.

6. Melt chocolate in a small bowl, I like to use a coffee mug, in the microwave for about 1 minute, stopping to stir after 30 seconds. I like to melt about 1 Cup of chocolate chips at a time with about 2-3 teaspoons of shortening. The shortening thins the chocolate so it is easier for dipping.

7. Dip the turtles into the chocolate so that they are covered.

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8. Allow the chocolate to harden. I let them sit out for about an hour before moving them to the refrigerate so that the chocolate got hard.

9. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container.

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