Pecan Caramel Chocolate Candies

With Valentine’s Day coming, I want to share my very favorite home made candy with you. It’s so easy, you will love these. These are delicious, and a more adult version of a Valentine’s treat, they are perfect to package as a gift using a beautiful antique plate, fill one of our tea cups and saucers with, or put in one of the many beautiful paper boxes available these days. They don’t take much time to make, and are very easy, the only thing they require is will power to not eat them all yourself before wrapping beautifully to give away! I have put these in little cellophane bags tied with a beautiful bow, and placed inside a teacup for an elegant tea party favor in years past, and they are always a big hit.

I have tried several recipes for these, right now, this is my very favorite one from Jenny Steffens Hobick.

Pecan Caramel Chocolate Candy

3 cups pecans
2 sticks of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of sea salt
……..
4 – 4 oz. bars of milk chocolate
1 teaspoon of light corn syrup
Course Sea Salt

1. To make the caramel, melt butter in a medium-sized sauce pan. Add brown sugar, light corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk to the pan. Cook on medium high and stir until it reaches the soft-ball stage, a soft caramel, 8 minutes or so of boiling. Have some icy water next to the stove, drop a small amount of the caramel into the water. If it is at the right stage, it will become a soft little ball between your fingers. Don’t cook it too long or it will become hard, brittle candy, you need to be able to pour it on top of the pecans. Remove from heat and stir in good quality sea salt and vanilla at the end. Pour the caramel into a measuring cup for ease of pouring.

2. In the meantime, toast the pecans in a dry saute pan for 1-2 minutes to bring out their best flavor. Arrange the pecans into groups of three on a greased cookie sheet, I line it with parchment paper first, you could also use your Silpat. Pour caramel over each little cluster, and let it set up slightly.

3. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler {or bowl over a pot of simmering water} you can use dark or milk chocolate, then stir in corn syrup to make it shiny. Do not over heat the chocolate.

Drop the chocolate onto the top of each little cluster of Pecans, it doesn’t have to be perfectly neat, rustic is fine and makes these look hand made. Let the chocolate cool slightly, then sprinkle on sea salt.

Store uncovered until ready to eat or package these beauties up. Let me know if you love these as much as I do!

If you want to romance your Home and Garden with antique and vintage treasures to make you smile each time you come home, visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.