/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Got a bit of a time sensitive problem.

My mom is fairly fucking hard to shop for for reasons let's not get into, so for christmas I want to make her chocolate turtles.
However, I don't have enough time to fuck around with making caramel, I don't have the time or the shit to make chocolate from scratch, so I need a bit of help here.

Should I use candy caramel, you know, the shit that comes in cube form for the filling along with pecans, or would dipping caramel that you use for caramel apples work and just be easier to work with and not over harden?

Is there any easy way to shape the chocolate? I only have muffin tins and aluminium foil, Im sure I can come up with something but if there is a better method i'm all ears.

Im considering either making some molds and chocolate coating it, peeling it off and when all is done being made hitting the outside with a heat gun to smooth if I deem it necessary. im also considering caking half or whole pecans in caramel and dipping them in chocolate

again im all ears, I only have so long before I have to make my mind up on the method.