https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/fruit-cup-turtles • Posted by Countryman Press
Eek! A turtle without nuts? Well, why the hell not? These days, we’ve got such an assortment of dried fruits to choose from, it boggles the mind. I can’t get enough of those dried tart cherries, so let’s throw those in, along with chopped papaya and a bit of chopped, candied lemon peel. Let’s pretend these turtles are health food, and top them with toasted pumpkin seeds. Chocolate color? Choose your poison. There is absolutely no way to do these wrong. Take two of these and call me in the morning!
Eek! A turtle without nuts? Well, why the hell not? These days, we’ve got such an assortment of dried fruits to choose from, it boggles the mind. I can’t get enough of those dried tart cherries, so let’s throw those in, along with chopped papaya and a bit of chopped, candied lemon peel. Let’s pretend these turtles are health food, and top them with toasted pumpkin seeds. Chocolate color? Choose your poison. There is absolutely no way to do these wrong. Take two of these and call me in the morning!
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread cherries in an even layer on the parchment. Layer papaya on top of the cherries.
Sprinkle lemon peel on top of cherries and papaya. Set aside.
Place prepared caramel into a bowl. Put bowl in microwave, and heat on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Take out of microwave, stir well with medium-sized spatula, and put back in for 30 seconds. At this point, your caramel should be in liquid form.
Scoop a dollop of caramel from the bowl with your small silicone spatula, and using your other spatula, ease the caramel off the spatula and onto the fruit. Try to make them anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter, depending on the size of the turtles you’d like to make. You’ll end up with 20 to 24 caramel turtle middles. When caramel is completely cooled, you can start assembling your turtles.