Buckeyes or Turtles anyone??

I'm not really feeling Christmas cookies this year, but I'm definitely into chocolate! My girls love chocolate too, so I decided that we would make some candy. I LOVE turtles, love them, but they can be expensive to buy at the local candy store ($.93/ea), so I decided to make some. Charlotte requested buckeyes (not sure how she knew what they were, but she wanted them for her birthday), so for the second time in my life I made them as well (with the help of my girls and our cousin).

Buckeyes

Prep time: 15 min     Cook time: 3-4 min

Ready in: 50 min          Servings: 30

Ingredients:

2 c creamy peanut butter                   4-5 c confectioner’s sugar

1 c butter, softened                            4 c semisweet chocolate chips

½ tsp vanilla extract                           toothpicks

Directions:

1.      1. In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter and vanilla. Once mixed, add confectioner’s sugar until the dough looks dry, but you can still roll the mixture into a ball. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet (I used aluminum foil with cooking spray on it).

2.      2. Press a toothpick into the  top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes (I left mine in overnight).

3.      3. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, in a microwave safe bowl on high for 1 minute, stir. Cook for 1 minute more, stir. Cook for 1 more minute or until all of the chocolate chips are melted, stirring after each minute.

4. Dip frozen peanut butter balls in the chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like buckeyes. 

Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

Pecan Turtles

Servings: 24

Ingredients:

8 oz pecan halves                                3 tsp shortening

48 individually wrapped caramels     3 c semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Cover cookie sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side exposed. Lightly grease foil with vegetable oil spray. Place 4 pecan halves to make an X shape on the foil.

2. Unwrap the caramels and put them in a microwave save dish. 

Add 1 TBSP water to the caramels. Place in the microwave on high for 2-2.5 min, stirring after every minute, until melted. Drizzle melted caramel over the pecans, making sure to cover the pecans with the caramel.

3. Melt chocolate and shortening in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring after every minute until the chocolate is melted. 

Drizzle the chocolate over the pecan/caramel mixture until the whole pecan/caramel mixture is completely covered with chocolate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!