Turtle cookies are soft and chewy chocolate cookies filled with chopped pecans, pockets of melted caramel and gooey chocolate chips. These pecan turtle cookies are topped with more caramel and a drizzle of melted chocolate. Delight everyone with a batch of these easy to make chocolate caramel pecan cookies.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love a rich and chewy chocolate cookie. My Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies, Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies and Hot Chocolate Cookies are just a few of my favorite chocolate cookie recipes from the blog. I know you’ll love these pecan turtle cookies just as much because:
- Layers of cozy flavors and textures. From the soft and chewy chocolate sugar cookie dough to the pockets of melty caramel, gooey chocolate chips and crunchy pecans to the thumbprint of caramel on top, these turtle chocolate cookies will delight your senses.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. These chocolate chip turtle cookies come together in almost one bowl and use a handful of simple pantry basics to make. After a quick chill in the fridge, they bake up into the most deliciously indulgent cookies.
Ingredients
This turtle cookie recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather melted and cooled butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar an egg and egg yolk, vanilla extract and cocoa powder.
- Turtle Mix-ins and Toppings: Gather chopped pecans, chocolate chips and soft caramels.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these pecan turtle delight cookies if you need them.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda gives these cookies chewiness rather than a cake like texture.
- Cornstarch: I like to use a little cornstarch in cookie recipes where I use melted butter. Using cornstarch helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much, as well as giving them an extra chewiness.
- Melted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugars: Feel free to substitute one for the oher or maple sugar would also work well to make these cookies refined sugar free.
- Egg and Yolk: This recipe has not been tested without eggs. The extra yolk is added for a richer flavor and chewier texture.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Cocoa Powder: Feel free to use unsweetened cocoa powder instead or Dutch processed cocoa powder. I prefer using dutch processed cocoa powder because it has a smoother and more intense chocolate taste.
- Pecans: Traditionally, turtle candies are made with pecans so these turtle cookies use pecans. If you do not have pecans or would prefer to make these cookies nut free, use broken or chopped pretzels.
- Soft Caramels: This recipe for turtle cookies uses about 20 pieces of soft caramels. I love using the soft salted caramel candies from Trader Joes, but any kind of soft caramel candy will work well.
- Chocolate Chips: I love using a mix of milk chocolate chips and semi sweet chocolate chips in this chocolate caramel pecan cookie recipe.
Variations
Brown Butter Turtle Cookies: Follow the ingredients and directions to my Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies recipe. Add 20 pieces of chopped soft carmel candy to make them turtle cookies.
How To Make
Learn how to make turtle cookies in a few easy steps.
- In a small bowl, mix the chopped pecans, chocolate chips and chopped caramel candy pieces until well combined. Reserve 1 cup of the mix for topping the cookies. I like to make sure to reserve 22 pieces of caramel candies along with the pecans and chocolate chips for topping the cookies before baking.
- In a small bowl, melt the butter and cool in the fridge for about 15 minutes. In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the cooled melted butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until well combined. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and cocoa powder until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in the remaining mix of pecans, caramels and chocolate chips. Cover the cookie dough and transfer the the fridge to chill for 30 - 60 minutes before baking.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for about 30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Allow the dough to rest while the oven preheats for 30 minutes. Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the chocolate turtle cookie dough into a ball, roll the dough ball into the reserved cup of pecans, chocolate and caramel pieces and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 9 - 11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed. Cool the e cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature. Drizzle the top of each cookie with the melted chocolate if you like and enjoy!
How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Place the turtle cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you would like to store the cookies for longer, I recommend freezing them.
- Make Ahead: Although this easy turtle cookie recipe comes together quickly, the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions up to chilling the cookie dough and decide which storage method meets your needs.
- Freeze Dough: Prepare the cookies through the chilling step. Chill for 30 minutes then scoop the dough into balls onto small lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the balls for 20 minutes then transfer them to a freezer proof container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookie dough balls in the fridge overnight and proceed with the cookie recipe as written starting with rolling in the cup of reserved pecans, chocolate chips and caramel candy.
- Freeze Baked Cookies: Place each of the cookies in a freezer proof container in a single lined with parchment paper between each layer. Freeze for up to three months.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the caramel chocolate pecan cookies is to let them sit out at room temperature. Heat them in the microwave for 10 - 15 seconds for that “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Measure the flour properly. I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Top each cookie with a caramel candy piece. Once the cookie bakes and the caramel has melted, the caramel candy in the makes the cookies look like turtle thumbprint cookies.
- Give your cookies a “cookie scoot.” Within the first 1 minute of removing the cookies from the oven, use a large biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies back into a more round shape. Place the cutter over the cookies so the edges of the cookie are inside the cookie/ biscuit cutter. In a circular motion, gently nudge the edges back into a round shape.
- Drizzle with melted chocolate. Although this step is optional, a drizzle of melted chocolate really makes these cookies shine. If you like, sprinkle with a few flakes of maldon flaky salt.
FAQs
The original chocolate turtle candy is made from pecans mixed with caramel, coated in milk chocolate. The result is a candy that resembles a turtle.
Just like the turtle candy and these turtle cookies, any dessert that has “turtle flavor” is made of a combination of chocolate, pecans and caramel.
This can happen for a number of different reasons. The butter may have been too warm or there isn’t enough flour in the cookie dough are the two main reasons.
Other Turtle Recipes to Try
If you try this Turtle Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Turtle Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
- 2 baking sheets
- 2 parchment paper
- 1 medium (2 tablespoon, 30 ml) cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1 cup (93 g) chopped pecans
- 1 cup (170 g) soft caramel candies, chopped about 20 pieces
- 1 cup (170 g) chocolate chips
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- ½ cup (40 g) cocoa powder
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the chopped pecans, chocolate chips and chopped caramel candy pieces until well combined. Reserve 1 cup of the mix for topping the cookies. I like to make sure to reserve 22 pieces of caramel candies along with the pecans and chocolate chips for topping the cookies before baking. In a small bowl, melt the butter and cool in the fridge for about 15 minutes.1 cup (93 g) chopped pecans, 1 cup (170 g) soft caramel candies, chopped, 1 cup (170 g) chocolate chips, 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt until well combined.2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the cooled melted butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until well combined. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and cocoa powder until smooth and well combined.¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, ½ cup (40 g) cocoa powder
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in the remaining mix of pecans, caramels and chocolate chips. Cover the cookie dough and transfer the the fridge to chill for 30 - 60 minutes before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for about 30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Allow the dough to rest while the oven preheats for 30 minutes.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the chocolate turtle cookie dough into a ball, roll the dough ball into the reserved cup of pecans, chocolate and caramel pieces and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart.
- Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 9 - 11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature. Drizzle the top of each cookie with melted chocolate if you like and enjoy!
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