Description
Delicious Turtle Cookies featuring a rich blend of cocoa, soft caramels, pecans, and chocolate chips, topped with a smooth chocolate drizzle. These cookies offer a perfect balance of chewy, nutty, and chocolaty flavors, ideal for dessert or a sweet snack.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups chopped soft caramels (divided)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (divided)
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (divided)
For the Chocolate Drizzle:
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ease cleanup.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which creates a good texture for the cookies.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract until fully combined to enhance flavor.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening and cocoa.
- Mix Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined to avoid overmixing which can toughen cookies.
- Fold in Mix-ins: Gently fold in 1 cup each of chopped soft caramels, chopped pecans, and chocolate chips; reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of each for topping.
- Shape Cookies: Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to drop rounded balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart for spreading.
- Add Center Caramel: Press a piece of the reserved soft caramel into the center of each cookie dough ball for a gooey center.
- Top Cookies: Sprinkle the tops of the dough with the reserved chopped pecans and chocolate chips to add texture and visual appeal.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes until the edges are set but the centers remain soft, allowing the cookies to spread nicely.
- Cool Down: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes so they firm up and are easier to handle.
- Melt Chocolate Drizzle: Melt the 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl, heating in 20-second intervals and stirring until smooth.
- Drizzle Chocolate: Transfer the melted chocolate to a ziplock bag, snip a small corner off, and gently squeeze to drizzle it over the cooled cookies.
- Set Chocolate: Allow the chocolate drizzle to set at room temperature or refrigerate the cookies for a few minutes to speed up the setting process.
Notes
- Ensure butter is softened to room temperature for easier creaming with sugars.
- Pressing caramel into the center prevents it from melting too much and keeps a delightful chewy texture.
- Use parchment paper on baking sheets to prevent sticking and help with even baking.
- Refrigerate cookies after drizzling if you prefer a firmer chocolate topping.
- Substitute pecans with walnuts or almonds for different nut flavors.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
