The other day at the grocery store while standing in line at the checkout, I spotted a holiday cookies magazine and flipped through it. I bought this magazine when I saw this recipe…it was all I needed to see, I was sold! You just can’t go wrong with chocolate, pecans, and caramel. Rich, fudgy chocolate cookies are rolled in pecans then filled with a decadent caramel. These chocolate turtle cookies just might be the end of me! I need to get them out of my house before I eat the entire batch. 
Serve this cookie alongside a glass of eggnog and it is such to be Santa’s favorite this year!
Chocolate Turtle Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, separated, plus 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups pecans, chopped fine
- 14 soft caramel candies
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk 2 egg white until frothy. In a shallow bowl, place pecans for rolling. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough, dip in egg whites, then roll in pecans. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough
- Using a teaspoon measure spoon, make indentation in center of each ball. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking.
- While cookies are baking, microwave caramels and heavy cream in medium bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside.
- Once cookies are removed from oven, gently press existing indentations with teaspoon measure. Fill each indentation with 1/2 teaspoon caramel mixture. Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
Source: America Test Kitchen Holiday Cookies 2010
these look so delicious and pretty too – no wonder you bought the magazine!
OMG these cookies look amazing! I love the caramel right in the middle of all that surrounding goodness. Yum!
Filled with caramel…..I am in! Love it.
I want one!! Those look amazing, and so pretty!
Your baking is my kryptonite
Check out my latest post– I made the Peppermint Chocolate cookies you posted a few weeks ago! They were DELISH! Next on my list is your pineapple-coconut bread!
I was just at the store and refrained from buying generic, storebought turtle cookies. Yours look SO much better than the ones I didn’t buy. Now I am so glad I didn’t buy those… I wish I could have one of yours, though. Maybe I will make some of my own!
I love turtles (the candy)! These look great.
Ohhh!! I love these!! I made them years and years ago and have totally forgotten about them. Funny story… about 15 years ago I made them for our work Christmas Party. I spent days making all different kinds of cookies and had put together a lovely platter with these in the center. I left my platter on my counter at home, ready for the evening. Upon returning home the cookies looked funny… kind of moving almost. As I got closer I discovered that the ants had also discovered then! We had never had ants in our lives and I was just crushed.
These look divine!
I love holiday baking magazines, I always get stopped by them in the check-out line. I would have bought the magazine too, seeing this recipe!
These look wonderful! Beautiful pictures – so clear!
I can see why you had to have this recipe. They look amazing.
Just wanted to say I really love the way these look. The chocolate and caramel/pecans look amazing together, great contrast!
What type of cocoa powder do you use? Like, unsweetened, dark chocolate, etc.?
For these cookies I use Hershey’s Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. These are one of my favorite cookies….if you give them a try, let me know how they turn out for you!
One more question! I’m going to make the cookies this weekend but only have skim milk, not heavy cream. Is that something I really need or would skim milk suffice?
Thanks so much!!
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