Turtles

by Michelle Cowling
(Crown Point, Indiana, USA)

• 1 cup white sugar
  
  
• 1 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 cup dark Karo syrup
  
• 2 sticks butter (not margarine)
  
• 2 cups evaporated milk
  
• 1 lb. pecans
  
• 1 T. vanilla
  
• 2 packages chocolate bark

1. Mix sugars, syrup, and butter in a large, heavy pot. Add 1 cup evaporated milk. Bring to a hard boil, stirring constantly.
   
2. Gradually add the rest of the evaporated milk. Cook until it forms a very firm ball in cold water (220-230 degrees), stirring frequently.
   
3. Remove from heat and stir in pecans and vanilla. Spoon onto buttered cookie sheets. Place in freezer until hard.
   
4. Melt chocolate bark, 1 package at a time. Dip caramels in chocolate. Place back on cookie sheets. Put in freezer until set.

Yield: 75-100 turtles, depending on how generously you size them. If you make them a little smaller, you may need more chocolate for dipping, but you also have more for sharing!

Extra Tips:
Be careful not to cook the caramel too long. I did that one year, and ended up with a very firm candy that was difficult to bite through. After you have made a couple of batches, you will recognize the "feel" of the caramel when it is ready. Also, do not double the recipe if you want more than one batch. Just make one batch at a time.