Julie Clark
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Chocolate Turtle Cookies
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Moist, chewy, and full of chocolate, these Double Chocolate Turtle Cookies are complete with pecans and caramel. Best served warm & gooey.
When you find an amazing cookie dough base, you want to make alllll the varieties of cookies. My chocolate cookie dough has been the base for M&M cookies and Almond Joy cookies.
Now they’re making their comeback with pecans, caramel and chocolate chips. The Double Chocolate Turtle Cookies have both cocoa powder and chocolate chips for a double chocolate punch. And don’t forget the pretty drizzle of chocolate on top!
About the Chocolate Turtle Cookies recipe:
- Flavor: Rich chocolate and sweet caramel pair so well with the nutty pecans and sea salt. The cookies are rich, but the nuts and sea salt tone down the sweetness.
- Texture: The butter and eggs in this recipe keep them soft and chewy. So often cookies dry out over time, but these don’t.
Secret to Dark Chocolate-Colored Cookies
In order for chocolate turtle cookies to have the deep, rich chocolate color, I use a small amount of black cocoa powder along with regular cocoa powder. For this recipe, I used 1 tablespoon of black cocoa powder, then filled the remaining ⅔ cup with regular cocoa powder.
How to Make Chocolate Turtle Cookies
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick baking mats.
- Mix wet ingredients. Using a stand mixer (with the beater blade attachment), beat together the butter and sugars for two minutes on medium speed (4), scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add dry ingredients. Add in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Mix the mixture until it is well blended.
- Add the mix-ins. Add in the chocolate chips, pecans and caramel bits and mix until combined.
- Scoop the cookies. Use a 2-inch cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough balls onto baking sheets, leaving 2” between each cookie. You don’t have to roll them in balls if you don’t want to, but make sure they are a nice round shape with no scraggly edges. Press half of a square caramel in the top of the dough ball. Don’t flatten the cookies too much when you do this.
- Bake the cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you want the cookies to stay soft and chewy, do not overbake. We bake ours for about 9 minutes.
The secret to making perfectly round cookies.
Here’s the trick to making perfectly round chocolate pecan cookies:
Place a large round cookie cutter (or a wide mouth mason jar ring) over the hot cookie. Use your hand to make quick circles on the pan, which will spin the cookie on the inside of the ring and round out the cookie.
You have to do this when the chocolate turtle cookies are hot, so work quickly immediately after the cookies come out of the oven.
Top the Cookies
- Melt the chocolate wafers in a microwave safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the cookies, then immediately sprinkle the chopped pecans on top. Sprinkle with additional sea salt if desired.
Chocolate Turtle Cookies Best Served Warm
Because there is caramel in the cookies, these cookies are best served warm. Allow them to cool for just 10 minutes before serving.
Even soft caramels will get hard again after they cool, so if you have leftovers, warm them for 10-15 seconds in the microwave to make the caramel soft again.
The caramel bits stay fairly soft inside the cookie, but the caramels on top will get a little hard after they cool. feel free to leave those off if you can’t serve the cookies warm.
Can you freeze the cookie dough?
Yes. For freshly baked cookies anytime you’d like, freeze the cookie dough. We have a complete article about freezing cookie dough that will give you all the tips.
Storage Instructions
Store the double chocolate pecan cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Then freeze any leftovers.
Other Chocolate Turtle Recipes
Chocolate Turtle Cookies
Moist, chewy, and full of chocolate, these Double Chocolate Turtle Cookies are complete with pecans and caramel. Best served warm & gooey.
Servings 24
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature 8 ounces
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 grams
- 3/4 cup brown sugar 150 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 grams
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 260 grams
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder* 65 grams
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 5 grams
- 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 grams
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips**
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup caramel bits 100 grams
For topping:
- 12 Kraft caramel squares cut in half
- 2/3 cup Ghirardelli melting wafers
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- sea salt for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick baking mats.
- Using a stand mixer (with the beater blade attachment), beat together the butter and sugars for two minutes on medium speed (4), scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. 1 cup salted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar , ¾ cup brown sugar
- Add the eggs and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy. 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Mix the mixture until it is well blended. 2 cups all-purpose flour , 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*, ¾ teaspoon baking soda , ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add in the chocolate chips, pecans and caramel bits and mix until combined. 1 cup mini chocolate chips**, ½ cup chopped pecans, ½ cup caramel bits
- Use a 2-inch cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough balls onto baking sheets, leaving 2” between each cookie. You don’t have to roll them in balls if you don’t want to, but make sure they are a nice round shape with no scraggly edges.
- Press half of a square caramel in the top of the dough ball. Don’t flatten the cookies too much when you do this. 12 Kraft caramel squares cut in half
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you want the cookies to stay soft and chewy, do not overbake. We bake ours for about 9 minutes.
- If you’d like the cookies to be perfectly round, use a large round cookie cutter (or a wide mouth mason jar ring) to place over the hot cookie. Use your hand to make quick circles on the pan, which will round out the cookie. You have to do this when the cookies are hot, so work quickly immediately after the cookies come out of the oven.
- Melt the chocolate wafers in a microwave safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate is completely melted. 2/3 cup Ghirardelli melting wafers
- Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the cookies, then immediately sprinkle the chopped pecans on top. Sprinkle with additional sea salt if desired. ¼ cup chopped pecans, sea salt for sprinkling
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
*To make my chocolate baked goods a deep chocolate color, I use a small amount of black cocoa powder along with regular cocoa powder. For this recipe, I used 1 tablespoon of black cocoa powder, then filled the remaining ⅔ cup with regular cocoa powder.
**I often use ½ cup of mini chocolate chips and ½ cup of regular chocolate chips. This helps the chocolate be more evenly distributed so you get some in every bite.
- These cookies are best served warm when the caramel is soft. If you can’t serve them right away, warm them for a few seconds in the microwave before eating to soften the caramel.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg
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