TURTLE CANDY WITH PECANS & CARAMEL

1 Gather the ingredients.
02 Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with aluminum foil or parchment, and spraying the foil or parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
03 Arrange the pecans in clusters of 4 with each pecan pointing in a different direction (like turtle legs). Alternately, you can just drop them in small clusters on the baking sheet.
04 Unwrap the caramels if wrapped and place them in a microwave-safe bowl. If they are very stiff, add a spoonful of water so the final product will be softer. Microwave them until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds.
05 Allow the caramel to cool slightly, so it’s not piping-hot, then use a spoon or a small candy scoop to drop a spoonful of caramel each pecan cluster. They are meant to be a rustic candy, so don’t worry about keeping the turtles round or about having some of the pecans poking through.
06 Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler.
07 Spoon the melted chocolate over the caramel layer, letting some drip down the sides, and nudging it around so it covers the top of the caramel completely …