Embarrassingly simple Christmas recipe

I bake like a man possessed on holidays and take great pride in the fact that I still make things the hard way. I suppose it's my Scots heritage, but in my mind taking shortcuts is cheating and I won't have it. I may be the only one at the table who gets it that my pie crusts are authentic and that my cookies are the real deal, and a lot of times that's all that matters. Baking without pre-prepared shortcuts makes me feel like I'm carrying on a dying tradition --I feel like I'm keeping alive the memories and traditions of my grandmothers. It gives me a tremendous amount of satisfaction to share the results of those efforts with the people I love.

Though it pains me to admit it, probably the most popular thing that comes out of my kitchen at Christmas is a confection that every fiber of my being tells me is all wrong. It's embarrassing to put them out on the table and I wrestle with whether or not to make them every year. My public demands them and who am I to stand up to popular opinion? Besides, they're good to the point of obscenity. I'm referring to something called a Rolo Turtle. A Rolo is a chocolate-covered caramel that's not anything I've give a whole lot of thought to under ordinary circumstances. Combine a melted one with a pretzel and a pecan half though, and the humble Rolo is elevated to something that defies description.

An old friend of mine who's a huge fan of shortcuts brought them out at a party a couple of years ago and despite my inclination to turn up my nose and scoff, I couldn't get enough of them.

Here's the recipe but please don't credit me if you make them yourself. I have a reputation to maintain.

ROLO TURTLES

 

Ingredients:

 

1 package small square pretzels

1 13-oz. package Rolos 

1 package Pecan Halves

 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 250 Degrees.Cover a cookie sheet with 

aluminum foil and place pretzels individually to form 

one layer only. Place one Rolo on top of each pretzel. 

Bake at 250 degrees for 4 minutes or until the Rolos are 

softened. Immediately remove from the oven and quickly 

place a pecan half on top of a candy and push down to 

squish the chocolate into the pretzel and flatten out. 

Cool for 20 minutes, then place uncovered in refrigerator 

for about 20 minutes to set. Transfer to a decorative platter.