Salted Caramel Pecan Clusters
Growing up, I always loved Turtles chocolates!
That orange and white striped box (along with Toffifee, After Eight mints and Quality Street tins) was pretty ubiquitous for my family, especially around the holidays. It wasn’t until I was much older that I actually tried a homemade variety from my now favourite chocolate place - the Chocolateria in Toronto. They call theirs “Sea Turtles” and the sentiment is the same, but boy do the ingredients matter. The taste difference between the mass manufactured Turtles and these ones that were handmade with quality ingredients was truly mind blowing!
Ever since, when I am not in the area to be able to grab one in person, I like to make my own. I order my chocolate callets (kind of a fancy word for chips, haha) from the Chocolateria to make these. In a recipe with so few ingredients, every single one counts, so if you can - be sure to use high quality butter to make the salted caramel, and high quality chocolate to coat the clusters in - trust me, you won’t be disappointed… and I wouldn’t be surprised if, like me, you elect to make your own instead of eating the chocolates you grew up with! :)
Salted Caramel Pecan Clusters
Makes 12 Clusters
Tools: A baking sheet, parchment paper or a silpat liner, heavy bottomed pan, heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon, microwave safe bowl.
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons salted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup high quality dark or milk chocolate chips (or a mix of both)
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat liner, make 12 tablespoon-sized piles of the chopped pecans, leaving 2 inches between each. Set aside.
Prepare the salted caramel: in a heavy bottomed pan, cook the white sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon. The sugar will gradually begin to clump together and then melt into a thick amber coloured liquid.
When the sugar is completely melted, carefully add in the cold butter and stir until combined (be careful as the mixture may splatter when the butter is added). Once the butter has completely melted stop stirring and allow to cook for 2 minutes.
After the two minutes of cook time has passed, slowly add the heavy cream to the pot and allow everything to boil for 1 minute without stirring.
Remove from the heat and stir in the salt. Allow to cool slightly before using.
Once the caramel has cooled slightly, use a spoon to drizzle enough on each mound of pecans to keep together (2 teaspoons or so). You can use the back of the spoon to ensure that each piece of pecan is covered. Put the tray into the fridge to allow the caramel to set for at least 30 minutes.
Place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 20 second increments, stirring in between until melted and smooth.
Using a fork, drop the clusters into the melted chocolate, turning to coat and allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl. Return to the baking sheet and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Once all of the clusters are coated in chocolate return the tray to the fridge (or freezer) until the chocolate firms up. Gently peel the clusters from the parchment or mat and transfer into an airtight container (these are best when stored in the fridge).
Happy eating! Xo
