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Turtle Cookies

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Turtle cookies are delicious chocolate cookies, rolled in pecans, filled with melted caramel and drizzled with melted chocolate.
 Many Turtle Thumbprint cookies on a baking sheet, each one has a caramel filling and chocolate drizzled on top.
Turtle cookies
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! 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 usually make mint brownies for my cookie exchanges, but I’ve made these turtle cookies several times and they’re always a huge hit. They’re 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!
How to make Turtle Cookies:
To make easy turtle cookies, start by make the cookie dough and letting it chill in the refrigerator. Chilling the dough is mandatory because it will yield a chewier cookie, and help the cookies hold together better as your roll them.
After chilling the dough, dip the cookie dough balls into whisked egg white, and then roll them in chopped pecans. 
Side by side photos of chocolate cookie dough rolled in crushed pecans, and then pressed down with a green measuring spoon.
 Use the back of a measuring spoon (I used a 1/2 tablespoon measurer) to press an indentation into each cookie dough ball.
Side by side photos of a chocolate thumbprint cookie empty, and then filled with melted caramel.
Bake the cookies. When they come out of the oven, re-press the indentation with the back of the measuring spoon, and fill it with melted caramel.
Side by side photos of a cookie sheet with turtle thumbprint cookies.
Allow the caramel to set, and then drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate. You could also skip the melted chocoalte and sprinkle them with sea salt.
Turtle Thumbprint Cookies | tastesbetterfromscratch.com

To make this recipe even easier, you could make the cookie dough one day in advance. Wrap it really well and refrigerate it.

Can I freeze turtle cookies?

You have two options for freezing these turtle cookies.  The first option is to make the cookie dough, freeze it, and use it to make the cookies.  The second option for freezing thumbprint cookies is to follow the recipe completely and make all cookies, allow them to cool completely, and then place them in a gallon freezer bag.  When you are ready to eat them, allow them to come to room temperature on your counter top.

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5 from 2 votes
Turtle Thumbprint cookies on a baking sheet. | tastesbetterfromscratch.com
Turtle Cookies
Print Recipe
Prep Time
1 hr 15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
 

Turtle thumbprint cookies are delicious chocolate cookies, rolled in pecans, filled with melted caramel and drizzled with melted chocolate.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy turtle cookies, turtle cookies
Unit: cup, large, Tablespoon, teaspoon
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 140 kcal
Author: Lauren Allen
Ingredients
For the cookies:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter 1 stick
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg , separated
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup pecans , finely chopped
For the Caramel:
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. Roll each dough ball in the frothy egg whites, and then roll and press in the chopped pecans. Place on a greased baking sheet.  
  4. Use the back of a small measuring spoon to make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.

  5. Bake at 350 Degrees F for about 10-12 minutes, or just until set. Don't over-bake as cookies will harden as they cool. 

  6. As the cookies come out of the oven, gently re-press the indentations with a small spoon.
  7. 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)!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Adapted from The Kitchen is My Playground

Nutrition Facts
Turtle Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 140 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 20mg 7%
Sodium 79mg 3%
Potassium 58mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 8g
Protein 1g 2%
Vitamin A 3.1%
Vitamin C 0.1%
Calcium 1.4%
Iron 3.6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Have you tried this recipe?!  

RATE this recipe and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

 

I originally shared this recipe December 2013. I updated in November 2017 with new photos and clearer instructions.

This post contains affiliate links. I love sharing my favorite products and cooking tools with you guys!

 

Turtle cookies are delicious chocolate cookies, rolled in pecans, filled with melted caramel and drizzled with melted chocolate. #easy #recipe #christmas #chocolate #tastesbetterfromscratch.com
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Comments

      • 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

        Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  7. 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!

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  9. 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!

    Reply

  10. 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 .

    Reply

    • 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

      Reply

  13. 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 🙂

    Reply

    • 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

      Reply

  14. 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.

    Reply

  15. 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??

    Reply

  16. 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?

    Reply

  18. 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 ?

    Reply

  20. Would it work to just sprinkle the caramel bits in the indentation before baking or do you have to melt the caramel and pour it in?

    Reply

    • Hi Emily, the caramel bits wont melt properly if you do it that way, sorry! It only takes a few minutes to melt them. Just add them to a bowl with a little splash of water, and microwave them on half power, stirring every 30 seconds.

      Reply

  21. My husband is all about his cookies and he said these are Thē BEST cookies he has ever had. I had to make extra so he could had everyone at work try them. Thanks for sharing!!!!!

    Reply

  22. I made these as my first cookie recipe ever, and they turned out great!!! I suggest buying caramel from Chick-Fil-A to use on the cookies! They come with the catering food trays but you can buy some for only $2 and it makes the cookie heavenly!

    Reply

  23. The caramel hardened a lot. Is it ok to microwave them before serving to get it a bit softer? I put them in the freezer as suggested for 15 mins and now they are really hard.

    Reply

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