Christmas Candy – Turtles

Today we’re making Christmas Turtle candy – no turtle meat involved. Ew. Some things just aren’t meant to be eaten. This is just about the easiest candy you can make. Seriously. If you guys are looking for something that is more simple than this, I really don’t know what to do for you. Anyone can make these……even those of you who state you cannot boil water. There is no water included in this one! I hope Rebecca and Tracie are reading this – you can now both make Christmas candy! It’s another Christmas miracle!

These are pretty cheap to make. You’ll need mini pretzel twists, Kisses, and peanut M&Ms. These two candies are always on sale at Christmastime…..and let’s face it – pretzels are cheap. They’re tasty and cheap. My favorite!!!! You could also use pretzels in the shape of waffles, but I couldn’t find those this year. Go ahead and unwrap your Kisses…..it’s a good exercise in restraint. I didn’t eat any, but I was chewing a piece of gum. Tropical Fruit Kisses didn’t really appeal to me.

Grab a big cookie sheet. This is actually my large sheet cake pan, and I also used a smaller pan – so you might need two cookie sheets depending on how many you make. That’s the awesome thing about this candy! You can make 1 or you can make 100. And really, who would make one? If you’re going to do it, do it right.

Place one Kiss on the top of each pretzel. See how easy this is? As I was doing this, I looked over to see Annie rearranging all my kitchen rugs and then proceeding to put the non-skid on top of her head like a hat…..I really don’t know where she gets this stuff from. I promise I don’t walk around with non-skid on my head.

Turn your oven to 170 degrees. This is probably the lowest setting on your oven. We just need it warm enough to melt the chocolate, but not so hot that the chocolate runs all over the pan.

Stick the pans in the oven. Be very careful. Those pretzels are slippery little boogers….they’ll move around really easy. They’ll really move around good when your toddler runs into your knees since she can’t see because of the non-skid on her head. Let them bake for 5-10 minutes. You just want them to start to get soft. They should look shiny like this. If you’re not sure if they are ready, just try pressing your finger into one. If it doesn’t give at all, it’s not ready. It shouldn’t be really soft, but it should be soft enough to press an M&M into.

When they come out of the oven, immediately press a peanut M&M into the center of each Kiss. This helps adhere the Kiss to the pretzel. The melted chocolate acts like glue to keep the M&M in place. You need to work semi-fast, but not like a maniac…..they will stay soft for a while. When you’re done, let them set at room temperature until the Kisses harden back up. This will take a couple hours. Done! How easy was that?

These make a great last minute gift in case you forget someone on your list. Okay, I know I’m not the only one who’s done that – right? You know, during the course of a year, some extra people get added to your list – girlfriends, boyfriends, co-workers. Give them Turtles and they’ll think they’ve made your AWESOME list. They’ll have no idea it’s because you forgot and needed something fast. I’m just here to cover your butt.  Store these covered at room temperature.