Easy Turtle Cookies

Reminiscent of everyone’s cherished candy, these Turtle Cookies are the perfect combination of rich chocolate, chewy caramel, and crunchy pecans. They are so irresistibly good, you won’t be able to eat just one, guaranteed!

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Perfect for the upcoming holiday season, family get-togethers, cookie exchanges, or just when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, these cookies are great.

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Why You’ll Love These Cookies

• Chewy and crunchy
• Addictive
• Loaded with caramel flavor
• Perfect for the holidays
• Make ahead option

Easily made ahead of time, these Turtle cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen for 3 months. So if you are looking to get them off your long to-do list, go ahead.

Equipment

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Cookie sheet
• Stand mixer
• Cookie cutter
• Microwave safe bowl
• Piping bag

Ingredients for Turtle Cookies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 6-8 minutes

Servings: 15-18 cookies

• ‌½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg white
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 20 caramel candies, unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• ½ cup pecan halves
• 1 teaspoon salt flakes (optional)

How To Make Turtle Cookies

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheet(s) with parchment and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and softened butter.

• Add in the vanilla and egg white and mix thoroughly.

• Switch the mixer attachment to the paddle. Add in the flour and baking powder and combine until the mixture forms a dough and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough until it is ¼-½ inch thick. Using a 3-in or similar size round cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can and transfer to the lined baking sheet. Save the scraps and reroll until the dough is gone.

• Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes – just until the edges are set and the bottoms are just slightly starting to brown. If the cookies are overbaked, they will be more dry and not as soft. Allow to cool while preparing the toppings.

• In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the unwrapped caramel pieces and the heavy whipping cream. Heat for 30 seconds at a time and stir well between each interval. The caramels will scorch if they are over-heated so heat in short increments and stir often.

• Transfer the melted caramel to a piping bag. Working quickly, pipe spirals of caramel on each cookie. Alternatively, you can use two spoons or a spatula to spread the caramel on each cookie, but it is quicker and less messy to use a piping bag. Allow the caramel to cool and harden at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the fridge for 10 minutes.

• Once the caramel has cooled and reset, melt the chocolate. Using a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate in 30 second increments and stir between each interval. Again, do not overheat the chocolate either as it can scorch easily as well. Once smooth, scoop a dollop of chocolate and spread it across the caramel on each cookie using the back of the spoon or a spatula.

• Place one pecan half (or a sprinkling of chopped pecans) over the chocolate.
• OPTIONAL – sprinkle with additional flaked sea salt.

Allow the cookies to set and the chocolate to solidify before serving.

If you love cookies as much as I do you may like these recipes; Brownie Mix Cookies, Madeleine Cookies,or these Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies With No Flour.

Variations

• Instead of pecans use walnuts or cashews.
• Choose semi-sweet or dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.
• Add a touch of cinnamon or espresso powder to the dough for a different flavor profile.

Tips and Tricks

• Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter. If you use a smaller or larger size, you may end up with a different number of servings.
• Roll out the dough to ⅜ of an inch thick using a premeasured roller. Keep the rolled out dough between ¼-½ inch thick. Thickness of the cookie will change the number of servings as well in addition to the bake time.
• Use flaked sea salt to garnish – this is optional but gives a great flavor profile and appearance.

What are turtle cookies?

Turtle cookies are cookies that are made with the same ingredients as the famous Turtle candies. These cookies have a soft and chewy cookie base, topped with gooey caramel and crunchy pecans.

Can I freeze these turtle cookies?

Yes, you can freeze these cookies. You may just want to store them in the freezer so they aren’t tempting you from the kitchen counter.

Can I make these turtle cookies without nuts?

Yes, if you need a nut free cookies, omit the pecans and add chocolate chips or just add the caramel.

If you aren’t familiar with Turtles they are a candy that’s shaped like a turtle, hence the name, made with pecans and caramel dipped in chocolate. Research shows Turtles have been around since 1918 and were created by a company called Johnson’s Candy Company.