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Turtle Macarons

Servings 50 whole macarons

Ingredients

Caramel

  • 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
  • 3/8 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp table salt
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Ganache

  • 114 grams heavy cream
  • 100 grams dark chocolate (preferably Hershey's Special Dark)
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)

Toasted Pecans

  • 1 cup chopped pecans (approximately)
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Topping

  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

Macaron Shells

  • You can use any plain macaron shells for this recipe. Go here for my favorite shell recipe: https://michellesmacarons.com/french-macaron-recipe/
  • Bake the shells and let them cool completely

Making the Caramel

  • Add all the ingredients for the salted caramel, except the vanilla extract, into a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the caramel gets to the "soft ball" stage
  • If you're not sure what that means, watch the "Salted Caramel Macaron" video: https://youtu.be/_ftSIOSZv2Y
  • Add the vanilla extract and stir until combined
  • Let the caramel cool completely

Making the Ganache

  • Coarsely chop the dark chocolate and put into a bowl with the butter
  • Simmer the heavy cream and pour over the chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes
  • After 3 minutes, whisk the chocolate mixture until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until thick.

Toast the Pecans

  • In a medium pan, melt the butter. I like to let it brown a little bit.
  • Add the chopped pecans and toast until they smell toasted. (This is a bit tricky because they don't really change color. You just have to stand there the whole time continually stirring so they don't burn. You'll be able to tell when they're done when they have a lightly toasted aroma - don't over toast them)
  • Once they've cooled, I like to lightly pulse them in the food processor or chop them a little finer.

Assemble the Macarons

  • Once the ganache is thick, put into a piping bag and pipe around the outer edge of the macarons.
  • Add a dollop of the caramel to the middle.
  • Sprinkle with the toasted pecans and sandwich another macaron shell on top.
  • Refrigerate until the filling is mostly firm.

Making the Topping

  • Melt the semi-sweet and milk chocolate.
  • Add the vegetable oil and stir until smooth.

Topping the Macarons

  • Remove the macarons from the fridge and dip the tops into the melted chocolate.
  • Sprinkle the tops of the macarons with the toasted pecans.
  • Refrigerate until the chocolate is no longer melted.
  • Put the finished macarons in an air tight container and put in the fridge for at least 24 hours to "mature".
  • When you are ready to eat the macarons, remove them from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

Notes

Caramel recipe adapted from: Erica's Sweet Tooth