Chocolate Turtle Cookies

There is something special about chocolate and caramel to me that I can’t describe. It is my favorite combination of flavors ever! That is why when I saw this recipe for Chocolate Turtle Cookies on Facebook one day, I had to recreate it! This cookie is a chocolate decadent cookie, rolled in chopped pecans, filled with melted caramel, and topped with a drizzle of chocolate sauce. It is literally the perfect cookie combination. Full discloser, this is not my recipe. I watched a Facebook video make them over and over again until I figured out what was in it, then I gave it a whirl myself. I loved how pretty the cookies looked and turned out. To get them to keep their shape, they need to be refrigerated after you have them all cooked, filled, frosted and set up. I found that out the hard way because the caramel on the inside was spilling over the top and the checks of chocolate on top didn’t stay perfect. With every new recipe, you live and you learn! These cookies are great for any upcoming holiday parties, neighborhood gifts, or santa cookies!

1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, separating the yoke and the white
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Caramel Filling
12 soft caramel candies
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Chocolate Drizzle
1/2 milk chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil

In your mixing bowl, start by combining the four, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix together and set aside. Next, in your electric mixing station, combine the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add egg yoke, milk, and vanilla. Mix well. On a low speed, slowly start to add your dry mixture. When everything is combined, wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

After an hour, preheat oven to 350. Then, take the remaining egg white and whisk it until it is frothy. Prep the pecans if needed (I needed to chop mine more than they came because I wanted finer bites). Then, roll the dough into one inch balls. Coat each ball in the egg white, then roll in it the pecans. Next, place balls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Taking a clean round teaspoon, make a small indent in the center of the cookie with the back side of the spoon on each ball.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. While the cookies are baking, begin to prepare the caramel filling. In a microwave safe bowl, add the caramel candies to the heavy cream. Melt the mixture in the microwave using 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until creamy. When the cookies are finished, use the teaspoon again to make a defined indentation in the center. Drop about a teaspoon of caramel sauce into each cookie’s center.

Now, if you desire, is the time to prep the chocolate drizzle. Same concept as above, add the chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl with coconut oil and melt in 30 second intervals until smooth. Add chocolate to a ziplock baggie and barely snip off the corner of the bag. Pipe the chocolate onto the cookie in a checkered pattern.