Turtle Cookies

By our Recipe contributor, Becky Spoolstra

Classic turtle candies are transformed into amazing cookies - chocolate, caramel, pecans, oh my! These make for a delicious treat for yourself or that person you want to impress with your mad baking skills.

Ingredients

For the cookie:

▪1 cup all-purpose flour

▪1/3 cup cocoa powder

▪1/4 teaspoon salt

▪8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, softened

▪2/3 cup sugar

▪1 large egg, separated, plus 1 additional egg white

▪2 Tablespoons milk

▪1 teaspoon vanilla extract

▪1.25 cups pecans, finely chopped

For the caramel topping:

▪14 soft caramel candies (I used Kraft Traditional Caramels)

▪3 Tablespoons heavy cream
 

For the chocolate drizzle (optional):

▪2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

▪1 teaspoon shortening

Directions

1. To prepare the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla; mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. 

2. Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Place chopped pecans in another bowl. Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, and then roll in pecans.  Place balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Bake until set, about 12 minutes.

3. To prepare the caramel filling: Microwave caramels and cream together in a small bowl, stirring occasionally until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Once cookies are removed from the oven, gently re-press the indentations.  Fill each indentation with about .5 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. To prepare the chocolate drizzle (optional): Place chocolate and shortening in a small zip-top plastic bag. Set bag in a bowl of warm water to soften. Gently knead the chocolate with your fingers until melted and smooth, placing back in the warm water for a minute or two as needed. (or you can microwave the chocolate and shortening in the bag, a little at a time, until it’s soft and combined) Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag. Drizzle chocolate over the cooled cookies.

Notes:

This recipe makes 2 dozen cookies.

You could totally swap pecans for chopped walnuts, peanuts, etc if you prefer another type of nut.

This recipe was originally posted here.