Monster Chocolate Cashew Turtles Recipes

CHOCOLATE TURTLES® (THE CANDY)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Arrange pecans on a baking sheet.
• Bake pecans in the preheated oven until fragrant and lightly browned, 7 minutes.
• Melt chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; grease with butter.
• Combine caramels, water, and butter in a saucepan over low heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted and smooth. Fold in pecans.
• Drop caramel mixture by the spoonful onto the prepared baking sheet. Allow to cool and harden.
• Drizzle chocolate over caramel nut clusters. Refrigerate to set, about 1 hour.

CHRISTMAS TURTLES® CANDIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Cover cookies sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side exposed. Lightly grease foil with vegetable oil spray.
• Place 3 pecan halves in a Y shape on the foil. Place 1 caramel candy in the center of each Y. Bake just until caramel is melted, about 9 to 10 minutes.
• Heat shortening and chocolate chips over low heat just until chocolate is melted. Spread over candies and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

MONSTER CHOCOLATE CASHEW TURTLES

Steps:

• Heat the first heavy cream in a small sauce pan.
• Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
• Place chocolate chips in a stainless steel bowl.
• Pour hot cream over chocolate and stir with a rubber spatula.
• Place paper muffin cups into a muffin pan. Pour ganache into paper cups ¼ inch thick.
• Top with toasted cashews and cool in freezer.
• For the caramel:.
• Heat the second cream in a small pan up to the boil.
• Shut off heat and keep warm.
• In a large sauce pan, combine sugar water and lemon juice and cook to a medium caramel color. Be extremely careful -- this will be 'very hot'.
• Remove from heat and carefully add the hot heavy cream.
• Stir until a smooth caramel.
• Caution, use a cooking vessel much larger than necessary because the hot caramel will boil up and could splatter.
• Allow to cool to a honey like thickness.
• Spoon the caramel on top of the cashews. Place back in freezer for 15 minutes.
• Remove paper cups and place turtles on a wire rack.
• Melt dark chocolate and spoon over turtles.

CHOCOLATE COVERED TURTLES

Steps:

• Generously butter 2 baking sheets.
• On the baking sheets, arrange the pecan halves in snowflake-shaped clusters of 5 pecans each, overlapping the nuts in the center, leaving 2 inches of space between each.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the evaporated milk, the corn syrup, and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk and the 4 tablespoons butter, and cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches the soft ball stage, 240 degrees F. Stir in the vanilla and remove from the heat. Let cool to 200 degrees F.
• Using a tablespoon, spoon caramel on top of each nut cluster and let harden. (If the caramel becomes too stiff to pour, return to low heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until it returns to the proper consistency.)
• To make the chocolate coating, in the top of a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, combine 6 ounces of the chocolate and the shortening. Melt over low heat, stirring, until it reaches 116 to 118 degrees F, or feels fairly warm but not hot to the touch.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate. Continue stirring until the chocolate reaches 80 degrees F or feels cool to the touch. Return to low heat and cook, stirring, until the temperature rises to 85 to 87 degrees F, or feels barely cool. Remove from the heat.
• Drizzle 1 tablespoon of tempered chocolate over each cluster. Set aside in a cool place to harden. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, with waxed paper separating the layers to prevent sticking.

WHITE CHOCOLATE TURTLES

Steps:

• In a sauce pan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, cream, butter and pecans together. Stir over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the chocolate and boil the ingredients slowly to the firm ball stage, 248 degrees F. Stir in the vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, drop about a tablespoon for each candy onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let the caramels cool and set, about 5 minutes. Using a candy dipping fork, dip each caramel into the tempered chocolate. Place the chocolates back on the parchment on allow to set, about 5 minutes.

CHOCOLATE-CASHEW TORTE

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Mix cold water, corn oil and vanilla extract in large bowl. Whisk in dry ingredients. Divide batter among prepared pans, spreading with spatula (batter will be about 1/4 inch high). Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 10 minutes (cakes will be scant 1/4 inch high). Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.
• For icing:
• Bring whipping cream to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add 1 pound chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Cool icing until thick enough to spread, about 30 minutes.
• Place 1 cake layer on rack set over baking sheet. Spread 3/4 cup icing over cake. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped cashews. Top with second cake layer. Spread 3/4 cup icing over. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cashews. Top with third cake layer. Chill cake until icing sets, about 1 hour.
• Stir remaining icing in saucepan over low heat just until pourable. Pour icing over cake, allowing icing to run down sides. Smooth cake sides with rubber spatula. Press remaining 3/4 cup chopped cashews onto sides of cake. Refrigerate until icing sets, about 1 hour. (Cake can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let cake stand 2 hours at room temperature before serving.)

CARAMEL CASHEW CLUSTERS

Steps:

• Line baking sheets with waxed paper and grease paper with butter; set aside., In a microwave, melt 1 pound of candy coating; stir until smooth. Drop by scant tablespoonfuls onto prepared pans. Let stand until partially set, about 3 minutes. Top each with six or seven cashews. Let stand until completely set., In a small heavy saucepan, combine caramels and cream. Cook and stir over low heat until melted; stir until smooth. Spoon over cashews. Reheat caramel over low heat if it thickens. Melt remaining candy coating; spoon over caramel. Let stand until set.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED TURTLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast nuts on a baking pan for 10 minutes; remove from oven. Generously butter 5 baking pans. Arrange 5 pecan halves in a snowflake-shaped cluster, overlapping nuts in center. Repeat with remaining nuts, spacing clusters 2 inches apart.
• In a heavy saucepan, combine corn syrup, whole milk, and sugar. Place over medium-high heat; cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until syrup mixture comes to a boil, about 6 minutes. Stir in baking soda. Clip a candy thermometer to pan; add butter, stirring constantly until melted, keeping mixture at full boil. Slowly pour in evaporated milk; cook at a boil, stirring constantly, until temperature reaches 240 degrees (soft-ball stage), about 45 minutes. If pan starts to overflow, turn down heat for a few minutes; return to a boil.
• Remove caramel from heat; transfer to a medium metal bowl. Cool to 200 degrees. Caramel will have the consistency of thick honey.
• Using a spoon, gently mound 1 tablespoon caramel on top of each cluster. Allow caramel to harden. If caramel becomes too stiff, place bowl over low heat; stir constantly for several minutes until returned to proper consistency.
• To temper chocolate, cover a heating pad with a kitchen towel, and set pad to lowest setting. Line two baking pans with parchment paper, and set aside. Using a sharp knife, shave chocolate.
• In a medium glass bowl, heat two-thirds of the chocolate in microwave at 30 percent power for 1 minute. Stir chocolate, and continue heating at 30 percent power in 10-second intervals until an instant-read thermometer registers 120 degrees. Remove from microwave.
• Stir in remaining shaved chocolate with rubber spatula. Stir constantly, bringing chocolate up sides and back down into bowl until temperature reaches between 86 degrees and 89 degrees. To determine if tempered, drizzle a thin line onto a cool stainless-steel surface. The chocolate should dry to a matte finish in about 5 minutes. Place bowl on covered heating pad; stir occasionally to maintain temperature between 86 degrees and 89 degrees adjusting setting if necessary.
• Drizzle 1 tablespoon of tempered chocolate over each cluster; set aside in a cool place to harden.

CHOCOLATE TURTLES

Steps:

• In a double boiler or microwave, melt caramels and milk. Stir until smooth. Place pecan halves in groups of three on a greased baking sheet. Spoon melted caramel over pecans (1 scant tablespoon over each cluster). , Refrigerate. Melt chocolate chips and shortening; spread over clusters. Keep refrigerated.