How to Make Cranberry Pistachio Turtles

Cranberry pistachio turtles are a delicious twist on a classic favorite. Cranberries are rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants. Pistachios have 300 milligrams of potassium per serving. Combine that with the antioxidants in chocolate and you have a rich treat that is also nutritious.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Slab or bar chocolate, chocolate morsels or melting discs
• wooden spoon
• double boiler
• microwave
• Melted chocolate
• wooden spoon
• cookie sheet
• wax paper
• Two cups dried cranberries
• Two cups shelled roasted pistachios
• Two cups melted chocolate
• one pound melted caramels
• cookie sheets or muffin pans lined with cupcake papers
• waxed paper

Melting the Chocolate

1. First, get good quality chocolate. Darker chocolate has more antioxidants and less sugar. Chocolate has cocoa butter and chocolate liqueur in it, while candy coating does not. Candy coatings include carob, a chocolate substitute, and "barks," which are light or white and made with vegetable oils.
2. Choose a day that is dry, not humid. Humidity can ruin your chocolate. A drop or two of water can give it the consistency of raw liver. Ugh!
3. Fill bottom pan of double boiler about halfway with water. Fill top half with chocolate morsels, melting discs, or slab chocolate that you have broken into manageable chunks. DO NOT GET WATER IN YOUR CHOCOLATE.
4. Melt on medium low heat, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon until all the chocolate is liquid. Reduce heat to low or simmer.

Temper, Temper...

5. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.
6. Pour about a third of a cup of chocolate onto the cookie sheet. Stir back and forth with a wooden spoon for a minute. Spread a little onto a separate piece of wax paper. If it hardens, your chocolate is ready to use.

Do the Dip...

7. Melt caramels in microwave oven on the defrost setting until they are runny.
8. Cranberries Mix cranberries and pistachios together. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Put a tablespoon of fruit and nut mixture on cookie sheet. You can also use a muffin tin lined with cupcake papers. Just spoon enough fruit and nut mixture to cover the bottom of the cupcake liner.
9. Spoon melted caramel over fruit and nut mixture. Let harden.
10. Spoon melted chocolate over hardened caramel/fruit clusters. Let harden.
    
    Wrap individually or put in a tin layered with waxed paper. Enjoy!

Tips & Warnings

• Make chocolate candy on cool, dry days. Humidity can ruin your chocolate.
• Choose the best quality chocolate you can afford. Real chocolate is made with cocoa butter and chocolate liqueur, not vegetable oil.
• Do not get water in your chocolate. It will turn to the consistency of raw liver and will not harden properly.
• Repeat until chocolate hardens within a minute or two when cooled.
• Make the fruit and nut mixture first.
• Melt the caramels and make the fruit and nut mixture centers before melting the chocolate.
• Do not get water in your chocolate.