These are wonderfully gooey, lush candies, and they
couldn't be any easier. Make these from scratch, or
use the excess caramel and chocolate from Chocolate
Caramel Shortbread Candies.
makes about 32 candies
12 individually-wrapped caramels,
unwrapped
1/2 can sweetened condensed
milk (not evaporated milk)
2 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet
chocolate chips
2 tbsp. shortening
1/4 tsp. glycerin
2 cups pecan halves
Preheat
oven to 350°. Spread pecans evenly over a cookie
sheet and toast for 10 - 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Line
2 cookie sheets with nonstick parchment paper or waxed
paper lightly sprayed with Pam. Set aside. In a medium
microwave-safe bowl, combine caramels, sweetened condensed
milk, and butter. Microwave 1 minute, stir, microwave
another minute, then continue to stir until caramels
have melted completely.
Drop
3 pecans at a time into bowl of caramel, then scoop
them out with a spoon. Drop pecan-caramel clump onto
parchment or waxed paper. Pecans needn't be completely
coated. Repeat with remaining pecans. If your pecans
are runty, use 4 or 5 at a time instead of 3. Freeze
trays for an hour or two. Leave second tray in freezer
while coating first tray.
Melt
chocolate, shortening, and glycerin in a double boiler.
Remove
first tray from freezer and quickly pull all of the
caramel-nut clumps off of the paper while they're still
solid. As they thaw, they get sticky fast. Line cookie
sheet with fresh waxed, sprayed or parchment paper.
Working
quickly to keep caramel from getting sticky, drop a
caramel into the chocolate, stir a few times to coat,
then fish it out with a spoon and drop in onto the fresh
paper. Repeat with remaining candies. If you like, top
each candy with a pecan piece to mark it (especially
helpful if you're making several different candies).
Let set for several hours. The chocolate will set up,
but the caramel will say gooey.
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