Pumpkin Spice Turtles...Yes, Please!

I'll admit I went to the store looking for Candy Corn M&M's.  I couldn't find them, but since I'd gone with the express intent of buying chocolate, I felt I couldn't leave empty-handed.  I bought a bag of Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Kisses, my dreams of fall-inspired confections satisfied.

I first made these Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies, and they were deee-lish!

I still had half a bag or so of Kisses in the pantry, and they were begging me to eat them.  [You may recall I have zero willpower, and sweets, in particular, almost literally seem to call me.]

Hmmm...what goes with pumpkin spice deliciousness???  Pecans, of course!  And my idea of Pumpkin Spice Turtles was born from there.

For the past few holidays, I've been making Pretzel Turtles, a Rolo melted on top of a pretzel, topped with a pecan half...but instead of Rolos, I used Pumpkin Spice Kisses.  Viola!  The perfect fall combination, a taste and texture delight!

So easy...SO delicious...and the girlies even helped me!

Count out Kisses and unwrap them.  (A great fine-motor activity, by the way!)

Place Kisses on pretzels -- I like the little square ones.

Place assembled pretzel-Kisses on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 275 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until Kisses are very soft, but not runny. 

While the Kisses are in the oven, count out your pecans...find the pretty ones!

Here are my melty Kisses.

Top each with a pecan half, pressing down slightly.  (I did this, as I still don't trust the girls near a hot pan.)

I allowed the pan to cool about 10 minutes, and then I put the pan in the freezer for 20 or 30 minutes to set.

I will say that these turtles never completely set up like the Rolo turtles do.  The only impact that has, I think, is that I wouldn't stack these in a gift basket, but rather serve them on a single-layer plate.

ENJOY!!!