Turtles are decadent, rich, and delicious cookies. I have taken a recipe for classic chocolate chip cookies, added pecans for crunch and rolled them in pecan pieces for flavor, and then filled the center before baking. So go ahead and make your own batch of turtle cookies – they are the best cookie recipe in the world.
Turtle cookies are the best cookies in the world. There, I said it. And I’m not taking that back.
These cookies are so good, in fact, that they have their own national holiday. National Turtle Cookie Day is celebrated every year on December 8th.
What makes turtle cookies so special? Well, for starters, they’re made with chocolate and caramel. And pecans. Lots and lots of pecans. In fact, the ratio of pecans to cookie dough is about 3:1. That means there are three times as many pecans as there is cookie dough!
The resulting cookie is chewy and gooey and oh-so-delicious. If you’ve never had a turtle cookie before, you’re in for a real treat!
INGREDIENTS
To use cookies,
1 cup all-purpose flour⅓ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter 1 stick
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, separate
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Caramel:
⅔ cup Kraft Caramel bits or regular caramels, melted
½ teaspoon water
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix flour, cocoa, and salt. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the egg yolks, milk, and vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture until well combined. Allow dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Mix egg whites until foamy in a bowl. In a separate bowl, place chopped pecans. Take the dough out of the fridge and form small balls. I made 20 cookies.
Then roll each dough ball in the egg whites and then roll it in the chopped pecans. Place the dough on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
Make a mark in the middle of each dough ball using a small spoon.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are set. Do not overbake, as the cookies will harden once they cool.
Gently press the indentions with a small spoon as the cookies are taken out of the oven.
Mix the caramel bits with water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval until the caramel has melted (1-2 min). Indented cookies should be coated with a few drops of caramel. Optional: Sprinkle with sea salt or drizzle with melted chocolate