Holiday Cookie Hop

My mother didn’t love to bake, but for Christmas there were always a few kinds of cookies and candies she would whip up. The staples were sugar cookies, fudge, and what she called turtles: a cluster of peanuts drenched in melted chocolate. A delicious perfect blend of salty and sweet, with a crunch beneath the smooth, sweet shell. If Mom asked me to help make the turtles, very few actually made it into the cookie tin to be taken to Grandma’s for an enormous, noisy family dinner that included tables groaning with food, gift-opening, board game marathons that might last well into the night, and, possibly, a visit from Santa.

When I mentioned this recipe to my husband, who is quite the chef, he informed me that I can’t call them turtles. What I’m describing, he said, are peanut clusters. Turtles include pecans and caramels. My family always called them turtles, I said. Go to the store and look on the shelves, he said. This got me thinking about why my family would have called this very basic candy with the name of a fancier confection.

I have a theory. My husband grew up in a big city with store-bought items. My mother grew up in the rural Midwest. My grandmother had six kids to raise and a farm to run in between shifts at her waitressing job. There was either (a) no time to run to the store for items like pecans or (b) no money for fancy holiday treats. Maybe the recipe was passed to Grandma Jessie by somebody who called them turtles. Or maybe she made do with what she had on hand and gave her peanut clusters a cute name that would amuse the kids. Whatever the reason, here is the result: I’m going to tell you how to make Misty’s family heirloom turtles, and you can add whatever you want to them.

Melt the chocolate. I prefer a double boiler to get that nice, glossy consistency, or you can melt directly in a saucepan over low heat. Or, put the chips or shaved chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each burst. Bagged chips should melt well, but if your chocolate gets clumpy or grainy, add a little fat to help smooth things out. You can use butter, ghee, vegetable oil, coconut oil, heavy cream–whatever you have on hand.

Lay wax or parchment paper on a baking sheet. Mix the nuts into the chocolate. A 2:1 ratio is my general rule; if you melted 12 oz chocolate, trying adding 6 oz of peanuts, but really, make ’em how you like ’em.

Spoon the nut-laden chocolate in big dollops onto the parchment paper.

If you want you can arrange your pecans as legs and scoop the chocolate on top. Then they really do look like turtles!

A touch of sea salt sprinkled atop the chocolate adds a tasty finish.

Leave your turtles to firm up. If you want extra-fast firming, slide the baking sheet into the fridge (or freezer) for a few minutes. They’re ready when they peel easily off the parchment paper.

If taking to a party to impress your friends, layer your turtles between parchment paper so the chocolate doesn’t get sticky. If you’re eating them straight off the paper, pour your favorite holiday beverage to go with.