Turtle Candies

recipe from She Wears Many Hats
4 cups pecan pieces
14 oz caramels (I used the bag of bits, no unwrapping!)
10 oz. chocolate chips coarse
salt for sprinkling 

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Lightly salt pecans and toast on baking sheet for about 25-30 minutes. While pecans are toasting, melt caramels according to package directions. I melted them in the microwave and it was just fine and dandy.

Mix toasted pecans into melted caramels. Slightly cool, so you can handle. Drop tablespoon size rounds onto buttered or lined baking sheet. If mixture begins to harden, reheat for a few seconds at a time in the microwave. Let cool.

Melt chocolate chips according to package directions. Again, the microwave worked like a charm. Top each caramel/pecan drop with about 1 tablespoon of chocolate, and sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Let cool. Store in airtight container. Makes about 4 dozen.

Cheese Cake-Pecan Pie

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked 9 inch deep-dish pastry shell
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine cream cheese, egg, sugar, salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat on low speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

2. Pour into pastry shell; sprinkle evenly with pecans.

3. Combine 3 eggs, corn syrup, sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pour in pie shell.

Bake on the lowest rack at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until set.

Make Your Own Bark

Choose a flavor:

Rocky Road
1-1/2 pkg. BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
1/3 cup coarsely chopped HONEY MAID Grahams
1/3 cup chopped PLANTERS Peanuts
1/3 cup JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows

Pretzel
1-1/2 pkg. BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup chopped pretzels

Peppermint
1-1/2 pkg. BAKER’S White Chocolate
1 cup crushed peppermint candies

1. MIX ingredients.
2. SPREAD onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
3. REFRIGERATE 1 hr. or until firm.
4. BREAK into pieces

NILLA Turtle Cookie Balls

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
70 NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 2-1/3 cups)
3 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

1. MIX first 3 ingredients until well blended.
2. SHAPE into 42 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow, waxed paper-lined pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
3. REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.
4. Gift it: LAYER cookies in ZIPLOC® Holiday containers, wrap with ribbon and top with a bow.