Easy Turtle Cookies
These incredible turtle cookies have a fudgy chocolate cookie dough, crunchy pecans, a chewy caramel center, and a dark chocolate drizzle.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Butter melted, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ¾ cup Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 cup Pecans chopped
- 1 cup Dark chocolate cut into chunks
- 24 Caramels
Instructions
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cooled, melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and kosher salt together until smooth and well combined.
- Whisk in the egg and egg yolk until smooth.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Sift in the cocoa powder and all-purpose flour, then add the baking soda. Stir with a rubber spatula until almost combined.
- Fold in half of the chopped pecans and dark chocolate chunks until no dry streaks remain.
- Chill: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Chilling prevents the melted butter dough from over-spreading in the oven.
- Assemble and Stuff: Use a standard 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop to measure portions.
- Flatten each dough ball in your palm, place a caramel candy in the center, and wrap the dough tightly around it, rolling it into a smooth ball.
- Roll each stuffed dough ball in the remaining chopped pecans to coat the exterior.
- Bake: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set.
- Cool and Drizzle: Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Once cooled, drizzle with melted dark chocolate and let set before serving.
Notes
- Weigh Your Ingredients: For exact accuracy and the softest, most fudgy texture, weigh flour, cocoa powder, and butter in grams using a digital kitchen scale.
- Cool the Melted Butter: Allow the melted butter to cool to warm room temperature before whisking in the eggs so it does not scramble the eggs or melt the chocolate chunks prematurely.
- Seal the Caramel Completely: Wrap the cookie dough tightly around each caramel candy with no exposed gaps. Any exposed caramel will melt out and leak onto the baking pan during baking.
- Toast the Pecans: Toast the chopped pecans in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes to deepen their natural flavor before rolling the dough balls in them.
- Do Not Overbake: Take the cookies out when the edges are set but the centers still look soft. They will finish setting as they cool on the warm baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Do Not Skip Chilling: Chilling the dough for at least 1 hour is essential. It firms up the melted butter so the cookies bake thick rather than spreading too thin.
- Bake From Frozen: Stuffed unbaked dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Bake straight from the freezer at 180°C (350°F), adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
Nutrition
Calories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 166mgPotassium: 139mgFiber: 2gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 186IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 2mg
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