I know I’m a nerd when it comes to anything food related, but I look forward to Christmas Cookie Exchanges as much as I look forward to Christmas morning! My mom has attended one with her friends for years, and it’s a tradition I want to carry on each year with my friends! Last night a few friends and I hosted our first cookie exchange together! I love seeing the fun variety of cookies that everyone brings, and I, of course, love taking home a little sample of all of them! My mom would always come home with a huge tub of different cookies. She’d put them in the freezer so that we could take some out each night throughout the holidays and enjoy them for longer.
I brought these yummy Turtle Thumbprint Cookies to our party last night. If you’ve never heard of them, they’re awesome! It’s basically like a brownie bite with a caramel center, coated in pecans! YUM. They look beautiful and impressive but they’re really easy to make! You can drizzle the tops with melted chocolate, or sprinkle sea salt on top.
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- ½ cup 1 stick butter
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 large egg separated
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup pecans finely chopped
- 2/3 cup Kraft caramel bits or regular caramels, melted
- 1/2 tsp water
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Combine flour, cocoa and salt. In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolk, milk and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, just until combined. Chill dough in the refrigerator for one hour.
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Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Place chopped pecans in another shallow bowl. Remove dough from fridge and roll into small balls (however many cookies you want--I made 20 small ones).
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Roll each dough ball in the frothy egg whites, and then roll and press in the chopped pecans. Place on a greased baking sheet.
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Use the back of a small measuring spoon to make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.
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Bake at 350 Degrees F for about 10-12 minutes, or until set.
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As the cookies come out of the oven, gently re-press the indentations with a small spoon.
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In a microwavable bowl mix the caramel bits and water. Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until caramel is melted (1-2 minutes). Pour small spoonfuls of caramel into the indented cookies. *Optional: Drizzle with melted chocolate (or sprinkle with sea salt)!
Adapted from The Kitchen is My Playground
Whatever Dee-Dee wants says
Yum!
Pam from Over the Big Moon says
Looks SOOOOOOO yummy! Pinned and sharing on our FB page! Thanks ladies!
Lauren Allen says
Thanks Pam 🙂 You’re the best!
Jada Porter says
Hi Lauren…I made these cookies over the weekend for friends. They completely enjoyed them. However, I do have a question. Do you any tips on how to stop the cookie from spreading so much? I had to reshape them when they came out of the oven and indent them, as suggested, a little before putting the caramel in. GREAT recipe! Thanks…Jada
Kathleen says
Oh man, these look incredible! I have to make some. I wonder if I have any caramel bits. Yum!
Lauren Allen says
Thanks Kathleen! You could also use regular caramels or even make your own caramel sauce!
Whit says
I need some of these right now!!! yum
Anonymous says
Does the caramel harden back up or stay liquid?
Lauren Allen says
The caramel firms up a little to make it soft enough to eat easily. It’s only liquid when you poor it into the cookie hole and then it firms up perfectly!
Anonymous says
These look great, I was wondering when did you add the pecans? Before or after the caramel sauce? Thanks!
Lauren Allen says
You roll the cookie dough in egg whites, and then roll them in the crushed pecans. Then you bake them. Then you add the caramel sauce at the end, after the cookies are baked!
Natalie says
I have made these before and they taste great. However, I had a hard time storing them gifting them because you cannot stack them. The caramel sticks to even wax paper. Any ideas or solution to this? Thanks!
Lauren Allen says
Hi Natalie, Have you tried flash freezing them before storing them? Stick them in the freezer (uncovered) for 15-20 minutes. Then put wax paper in between the layers, cover them and freeze. That should work! To defrost them, take them out of the layers while they’re frozen, and then let them come to room temperature.
leah says
Can I use nut crunch instead of pecans?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Leah, I’m not sure what nut crunch is, but I”m sure you could substitute it without a problem!
Kristy @ Chocolate Slopes says
I also LOVE cookie exchanges! My friends and I started doing it a few years ago and now fight over how gets to host 🙂 And my husband LOVES turtle-anything so I may just have to make these along with other cookies to give away. Thanks for the idea!
Sandy wiggins says
Turtle thumbprint cookies, I just baked, are fantastic thanks for sharing recipe. I put them in a cookie tin . How long will they last? Other than the loved ones eating them all up. Will they last a week?, should they be in fridge? Can they be frozen. Just its my first time baking ahead for Christmas , I’m making these for our cousin cookie exchange. Testing them out before hand and they are outstanding!
Thanking you in advance.
Sandy
North of Toronto .
Lauren Allen says
Hi Sandy, I would stick them in the freezer on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes (called flash freezing them). Then put them in a container and put wax paper between each layer. Stick them back in the freezer until the day you want to serve them. On the day you want to serve them, take them out of the fridge, unstack them, and let them come to room temperature
Merlot @ Goddess of Baking says
I made these cookies and they turned out great! Check them out here:
http://goddessofbaking.blogspot.com/2014/12/turtle-thumbprint-cookies.html
Beth Smith says
My daughter makes theses often. They are from a Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. They are wonderful.
Sabrina says
Hi There,
I found that my caramel firmed up just a bit too much and difficult to chew or bite into.
Is there any tips and tricks so get it a bit more softer?
Thanks so much 🙂
Lauren Allen says
Hi Sabrina, it sounds like you cooked it too long. Rather than using a thermometer, the “firm ball” method is the best way to test it and make sure you don’t overcook it
Amanda says
I just tried this recipe and my cookies are really soft. Are they suppose to be like that. I feel like they are going to fall apart when anyone picks them up to eat.
Melissa Ackermann says
These were fun to make, beautiful and DELICIOUS! Would love a printable version of this recipe so I can keep it in with my holiday recipes… any chance of that??
Lauren Allen says
Hey Melissa, I just updated the recipe so you can print it now 🙂 I’m so happy you liked them!
Rebecca says
Does the caramel in these cookies harden/thicken enough after they’ve been set for a little while to stack them on top of each other in a container?
Lauren Allen says
H Rebecca, I would let them cool completely, then stack them with parchment paper between each layer so they don’t stick. Hope you enjoy them!
Sakina says
Just made these and they look exactly like your picture. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe😊
Munni says
Hi there these cookies look amazing. Just had a quick question! What kind of butter do you use ? Unsalted or salted ? Also could I use margarine ?
Lauren Allen says
Unsalted butter! I would not use margaine.