Christmas cookies are great, but I much prefer holiday confections: fudge, divinity, pralines, haystacks, truffles, and nougat are some of my favorites. Rather than add more options to Christmas cookies this year, I plan to offer you holiday confections to make on the weekend, published every Friday in December. Add these to your cookie list, include them in tins, or set some out for family to snack on during the holiday. 

Growing up in California, eating See’s Candies was a family tradition during the holidays. Whether visiting their store in L.A. or finding kiosks in malls, my family flocked to See’s Candies to fill their bags full of chocolate and treats for stocking stuffers, fillers for cookie tins, and candy trays on our coffee table. My favorites were the polar bear claws, rocky road fudge, and dark chocolate turtles. Though no recipe I’ve come across compares to See’s Candies, this recipe is pretty close and is easy to make. If you don’t have a candy thermometer you can use the ice water test, dropping the hot caramel into a bowl of ice water and taking it out to form into a ball to see if the caramel is done. If you don’t like pecans, use walnuts or cashews instead. 

Dark Chocolate Turtles  
Yields 36 pieces 

Ingredients
3 cups whole pecans, toasted
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
Pinch of salt
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups dark chocolate chips
Flaky salt, for garnish 

Directions 

1. Arrange pecans in clusters of 4 to 5, with clusters spaced 2 inches apart on a silicone mat or parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer clipped on the side over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt, then bring to a boil. 
3. Whisk in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Continue whisking occasionally until the thermometer reaches 235-240 degrees.
4. Remove from heat and quickly spoon the caramel over pecan clusters. Let sit to harden.
5. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals at half power, stirring in between, until smooth. Spoon chocolate on top of each layer of caramel. Sprinkle turtles with flaky salt. Let sit for 1 hour or until the chocolate sets.
6. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

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