Christmas Pecan Logs

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup maraschino cherry, drained & finely chopped
• 14 ounces vanilla caramels
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 cups chopped pecans, lightly toasted

Recipe

• 1 in pan combine sugar, water, and corn syrup. cook over medium-high heat to boiling, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar (6 to 8 minutes).
• 2 then reduce to medium-low heat, without stirring, till thermometer registers 240 degrees, soft-ball stage (about 30 more minutes).
• 3 remove pan from heat; remove thermometer. pour mixture onto a large platter. do not scrape the cooked candy from the sides of the pan (this part tends to over-cook and gives a hard texture to the candy -- it's not worth wrecking the soft creamy center by adding this).
• 4 cool, without stirring, until slightly warm to the touch. about an hour.
• 5 add cherries to the mixture and beat with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes utill candy is , creamy and has lots of air incorporated into it. (this step can also be accomplished using a paddle attachment on a food processor).
• 6 form into logs (individual size or 2 large) and wrap in clear plastic wrap.
• 7 place wrapped logs in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
• 8 for the coating:.
• 9 in a heavy saucepan combine caramels, butter and water. cook over low heat until caramels are melted.
• 10 spread chopped pecans on a piece of waxed paper.
• 11 remove the saucepan from heat. dip the unwrapped fondant logs into the melted caramel mixture. let excess caramel drip off the log.
• 12 place the dipped log on the chopped pecans and roll until it is covered.
• 13 chill 1 hour or until ready to serve. to serve, let logs stand at room temperature about 30 minutes.
• 14 cut into 1/4 inch slices.