These delicious chocolate pecan caramel clusters are the best quick and easy dessert. If you love Fannie May’s then this recipe is for you!
With a short list of ingredients and only about 30 minutes needed to make these pecan caramel clusters, your sweet tooth will be nothing less than satisfied!
When I first shared the original pecan caramel clusters I made, you all LOVED them. So I am excited to alter my own recipe by coating them in chocolate. Because EVERYTHING is better with chocolate, am I right?! Let’s jump right into this recipe.
Equipment & Ingredients
To make these pecan caramel clusters, you will need these ingredients.
- Caramels
- Butter
- Pecans
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips
As for the equipment, the list is much shorter! You will just need:
- Saucepan
- Mixing Bowls
Heat the Caramel
Ina saucepan, add the caramels first as well as the vanilla extract. Place over low to medium heat and wait for the caramels to melt, stirring every so often. This method of melting caramels requires close attention, so don’t walk away from the stove for too long while they are melting. For other methods of melting caramel read below!
Once all the caramels have fully melted, add the heavy cream and keep the heat on low. This will thin out the caramel consistency and allow for the chocolate pecan caramel clusters to cool as a chewy caramel, rather than a hard caramel. Mix until the caramels and heavy cream are fully combined and the two ingredients show no separation. Remove from the heat.
Methods to Melt Caramel
- Saucepan – This method involves placing the caramels straight into a saucepan. Heat the caramels on medium-low heat and stir almost constantly to prevent sticking and burning. Continue until all the caramels have melted away into a sauce. This method requires the most attention, but is the quickest.
- Double Boiler – Place a bowl or a pot on top of another pot fill slightly with water. Heat the double boiler until the water is boiling. Place the caramels in the empty bowl or pot on top. Slowly melt the caramels using this double boiler method. The heat from the steam of the boiling water will rise to melt the caramel. This method is basically foolproof in burning the caramels as it heats slowly with indirect heat. But this method also takes the longest to fully melt the caramels
- Microwave – To melt caramels in the microwave, place the caramels and cream/milk of choice into a heat safe bowl. Microwave the caramels at 30-second intervals, stirring in between each. Continue doing this until the caramels have melted and become completely smooth. This method is the simplest and quickest after the saucepan.
Add the Nuts
Before the caramel begins to cool too much, place the chopped pecans into the caramel. Leaving aside some chopped nuts to roll the balls in later. Stir together with a spoon until thoroughly combined. I was super tempted to take a quick bite of this mixture at this moment while the caramel was still warm… and I did! And I highly recommend you don’t fight the urge and let yourself do the same.
Cool and Coat in Chocolate
Transfer the chocolate pecan caramel clusters mixture to a heat safe bowl. The hard work is almost done. At this point the caramel will be too hot to roll into balls just yet. Place this bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow the mixture to cool.
Once the mixture is cooled, but still slightly warm and malleable, take out large tablespoons full of the mixture and roll into balls. Place on a piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the rest until you have used up all the pecan caramel mixture. Now melt the semisweet chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals until completely smooth. Dip each pecan caramel cluster into the chocolate coating on all sides. Then transfer back to the parchment paper, topping with a halved pecan.
After all the balls have been coated with chocolate and topped with pecans, place in the refrigerator again for 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.
These chocolate pecan caramel clusters are super easy store. Place in a tight sealed Ziploc bag or a plastic container for storage. Leave at room temperature and these delicious candies will be fresh for weeks. But I assure you they DEFINITELY won’t last that long.
If you have any questions about the recipe or want to share how these chocolate pecan caramel clusters came out for you, please leave a comment. Don’t forget to share this sweet recipe with family and friends!
Chocolate Pecan Clusters
Equipment
- 9x11 Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper/Wax Paper
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 20 soft caramels
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
- 1 cup milk chocolate melting chips
Topping
- 15-20 pecan halves
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, then chop the pecans and set both aside. Keep 15-20 pecan halves to top the finished clusters with.
- Melt your caramels in a medium saucepan with the heavy cream and vanilla extract.
- Once melted, add in the butter and stir together until creamy.
- Turn off the heat and add the chopped pecans, folding them into the caramel and distributing evenly.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool slightly.
- Take a large tablespoonful of the pecan caramel and roll into balls, placing on the baking sheet.
- Let cool completely or chill for 5 minutes.
- While that cools, melt the chocolate until smooth.
- Dip each caramel cluster into the chocolate, coating evenly and then placing back on the parchment covered baking sheet.
- Top each coated caramel cluster with a pecan half, then let all set and harden.
- Enjoy or place in a tightly sealed bag for storage.
