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Christmas baking, Christmas Break, Holiday Baking, Holidays

Christmas Baking & Break

December 20, 2020 By Ashley No Comments

Goodness, how are we ALREADY here?! It’s the week of Christmas and there’s so much left to do. Stocking stuffers to gather, cookies to bake, and presents to wrap. Oh the joys of the holiday season! But, in order to take one thing off your to do list, I’m back for my last recipe share of the year.

And although one of these is a repeat from last year, well, it’s here, because it’s worth it. This single recipe beats any other thing that I make, including the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. These, well, these never get old. No one ever, ever, tires of these. So what are these heavenly delights you ask? Well, they’re the Payne Family turtles.

Turtles you say? Yep, delightfully amazing chocolate turtles. And although I know during the holidays most people are making cookies not candies, around the Payne household it was all candy all the time from December 1st to December 24th. It was homemade peppermint patties, homemade Snickers bars, and best of all, homemade turtles.

Chocolate Turtles, but Not the Same Old Boring Combination

However, they’re like no other turtle around, and honestly, thank goodness for that. Maybe it’s just me but regular turtles are pretty lackluster as it’s caramel, chocolate, and pecans. Not exactly a shocking or stellar combination. Good, yes, but memorable? No.

That’s why at some point someone in my family, still don’t know who, made the genius move of replacing the caramel, with dulce de leche. And oh, thank goodness they did, as the turtle then moves from good not great, to “alright, out of my way, I’m taking them all!” 

Now if you don’t know what dulce de leche is, let me first introduce you. Dulce de leche is pure perfection, and an incredible confection, from South America that involves slowly heating and caramelizing sweetened milk. It turns it from a sweet liquid, into a caramelly golden brown sauce that honestly has few to no rivals in terms of its deliciousness.

And well, it leaves caramel in its dusty tracks to be quite honest. To me, caramel is ok at best, and often too hard and chewy to actually enjoy. But dulce de leche? Well, if done right, is silky, smooth, and delightfully easy to eat, making it the perfect filler for a turtle.

So, are you finally ready for this turtle recipe before I continue on with just how amazing these things are?! Well, ok, here it is – Chocolate Turtles Recipe. You can thank me later once the accolades start rolling in for you.

Now as you’ll see in the recipe, this does have quite a few steps and the first step, making the dulce de leche, does take over 5 hours. However, don’t let that scare you. As we’re all at home right now for an exorbitant amount of time, this really isn’t a big deal at all. All you have to do for those 5 hours is take the label off the sweetened condensed milk can, cover it completely with water, turn the burner up to medium, wait for small rolling bubbles to come up, and then wait 5 hours as you refill the water about every 30 minutes.

That’s it. Literally anyone can do that. And the rest, well, the rest takes very little talent as well, just a bit of time. And these are definitely make aheads, so feel free to make them days ahead of whenever you’re celebrating. 

Cookie Time! 

Alright, now, onward and upward, to something more traditional this time, cookies! And these cookies are just perfect for the season as they’re “chewy double chocolate peppermint cookies” and simply fantastic. I’ve made these for four years running now, and usually make a triple batch as they’re just that irresistible. They’re soft. They’re chewy. They’re even crunchy with that bit of candy cane on top. That’s why they’re an absolute favorite of mine and Aaron’s. 

Now I follow this recipe exactly so there’s not many notes to add other than I would recommend at least doubling the batch as the recipe is only for a serving of 12, and there’s no way you’re only going to want 12 of this cookie. Let’s be honest, over a matter of days I probably eat 12 myself.

Also, make sure you have enough candy cane for the top and that it’s not just a light dusting. I think the cookie is much better with a few chunkier bits to really bring home the peppermint flavor and to give that added texture. So keep those pieces rustic and chunky as you crush and sprinkle them.

It’s Break Time, for You, and Me! 

Alright well that’s it for the sweet treats for now, and I do wish you a very, very Merry Christmas, and an even merrier break! I’ll be out for the next two weeks celebrating Christmas, thinking up goals for the new year, and taking the opportunity to just sit around, and I honestly can’t wait. It’s been a loooong time since I’ve had a break, and I’m ready for it. I hope you do the same for yourself and your business!

So, without further ado, goodbye for now and I’ll see you back here the first full week of 2021!

Have a great Christmas and New Year’s, everyone! 

Ashle

Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favorite treat to make at this time of year? I’d love to know!

And if you’re for looking to start off the new year by serving your clients exceptionally well, then take a look at what we’ve got for you here!

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Filed Under: Christmas baking, Christmas Break, Holiday Baking, Holidays Tagged With: holiday baking, new year's, recipe

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