Salty Turtle Candies
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Yields: 16 candies
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Yields: 16 candies
Ingredients
For the Salted Caramel
8 fl oz heavy/double cream
2 1/2 oz butter, cut into pieces
2 oz honey
1/4 cup water
7 oz fine/caster sugar
1 tsp sea salt, preferably Fleur de Sel
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8 fl oz heavy/double cream
2 1/2 oz butter, cut into pieces
2 oz honey
1/4 cup water
7 oz fine/caster sugar
1 tsp sea salt, preferably Fleur de Sel
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Candies
2/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
4-ounce block of caramel, cut into 16 pieces; or 16 caramel candies
16 bittersweet chocolate disks (1 inch disks)
a pinch of Fleur de Sel or other sea salt, to garnish each candy
2/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
4-ounce block of caramel, cut into 16 pieces; or 16 caramel candies
16 bittersweet chocolate disks (1 inch disks)
a pinch of Fleur de Sel or other sea salt, to garnish each candy
Method
Making the Salted Caramel
Line an 8″ square baking tin with parchment paper, brush lightly with olive oil.
Line an 8″ square baking tin with parchment paper, brush lightly with olive oil.
In a medium saucepan, gently heat the cream, butter and salt together, just enough to melt the butter. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Place the honey, water and sugar into a large and deep heavy bottomed saucepan and stir well. Place on a high heat and bring to a rapid boil, continue to boil the mixture until it begins to turn a golden brown, something like the second photo shown above in the post, about 8-10 minutes, then quickly remove from the heat.
Slowly pour the butter and cream mixture into the bubbling sugar. Be careful, as it will start bubbling and rise in volume. Return the pan to heat and cook for 10 minutes or until the caramel reaches 250°F/120°C. Once this temperature is reached, remove from the heat.
Add the vanilla extract to the caramel and stir well then pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Leave to cool at room temperature, then pop the dish into the refrigerator for a couple of hours to firm up, so the candy becomes easy enough to scopp, shape or cut, without turning rock hard.
Remove from refrigerator and invert the parchment paper onto a cutting board. Use a serrated knife and cut into 16 cubes or pieces (or smaller pieces if you like). you can proceed from here to make the Chocolate Caramel Turtle Candies, or just wrap your caramel candies into candy wrappers and store in refrigerator until ready to eat.
Assembling the Candies
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Roughly chop the pecans into coarse pieces and divide them into 16 small piles on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Roughly chop the pecans into coarse pieces and divide them into 16 small piles on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet.
Flatten each caramel cube into the size of a half dollar coin, and place on the pecans.
Heat in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, until the caramel softens and begins to melt. Remove from the oven; wait for 1 minute, then top each cluster with one disk of chocolate, pressing it into the softened caramel gently.
Top each candy with a few flakes of Fleur de Sel, or other coarse sea salt. Allow the caramel and chocolate to cool and set before removing candies from the pan. You can let them cool down, pack in individual decorative wrappers, or put them in an air-tight box to store for later use.
