These chocolate turtle cookies are a super chocolatey dough packed full of more chocolate, pecans and gooey puddles of caramel. These cookies are based off one of my all time favourite treats, turtles!
If you haven’t had turtles before, boy have you missed out. They are little chocolates filled with pecans and caramel. They have tiny little feet that make them look like a turtle and are perfect for nibbling on. I highly recommend you go buy a box ASAP.. even if you have had them before 😆.
Although not technically a Christmas treat, turtles always remind me of Christmas. Everyone always had a box out around the holidays and my dad always got some for Christmas. So for me, these cookies are super nostalgic and make me wish it was already Christmas time. I fully intend to make these for my annual Tibb’s Eve party this Christmas and I cannot wait!
For a different Christmas cookie, try my chewy ginger molasses cookies.
These turtle cookies are actually based off my double chocolate cookies but I altered the recipe slightly to tone down the chocolate flavour a smidge. I want these to be chocolatey, but I also want you to be able to taste the pecans and caramel!
How to Freeze and Bake Chilled Cookie Dough
If you’d like to freeze the dough to save time in the future, follow these simple steps.
- Prep the dough as instructed.
- Chill the dough as instructed. DON’T SKIP THIS STEP. (Chilling the dough helps the flavours marinate and the sugar dissolve. Not properly chilling the dough as instructed can alter the flavour and texture of the cookie.
- Roll the dough into balls.
- Place in an airtight container or bag.
- Label with type or flavour of dough, date, bake time and baking temperature. This makes life much easier when you pull the bag out of the freezer in a couple months and have forgotten what it is. (If you’re using a reusable bag, you can just write this information on a piece of masking tape or something similar.)
- Store in freezer for up to 3 months.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven and place balls on baking sheet.
- Add 1-2 minutes to bake time as baking from frozen and enjoy!
How to Properly Measure Flour
So when it comes to measuring flour, the most accurate and easiest way is to use a kitchen scale. I always use a scale and could never go back to measuring in cups for everything. It’s such a hassle and way more dishes!
If you don’t own a scale, there are a couple steps to properly measure flour as it becomes compacted just sitting in the bag or container. I highly recommend you follow these as just scooping flour out of the bag can potentially lead to at least an additional 1/4 cup of flour. This equals dry and dense baked goods which is not what anybody is going for.
- Fluff the flour by giving it a mix with a whisk or fork.
- Then spoon the flour into your measuring cup.
- Level the flour off using a butter knife. With the back of the knife, run it over top of the measuring cup, pushing the excess flour back into it’s container.
- Repeat until you’ve measured the amount the recipe calls for.
Baking Tips
- I recommend chilling the batter for a minimum of at least 2 hours so the sugars fully dissolve. This also helps keep the cookies from spreading creating a slightly thicker cookie.
- I prefer to use ground espresso as it really bumps up the chocolate flavours. If you only have instant coffee, that also works.
- Whatever caramels you use, make sure they are softer and not rock hard. If they’re hard prior to baking, they’ll likely stay hard once the cookies cool and won’t make for a pleasant bite.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
Other Cookie Recipes
Monster Cookies
Orange Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Strawberry Butterscotch Cookies
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Today’s song is one of my all time favourite Christmas songs. Although it’s not Christmas yet, I listen to this song all year round! Here’s Fairytale Of New York by The Pogues. Happy Baking! **Disclaimer: This song may be inappropriate for children due to inappropriate language. Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Chocolate Turtle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (150g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground espresso (optional)
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (135g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (120g) semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (70g) chopped pecans
- 12 caramel squares, chopped (like Kraft caramels)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder and ground espresso if using. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat for about 3 minutes.
- Add in the egg and mix until well combined. Then mix in the milk and vanilla until well combined.
- Add in half the dry ingredients and mix unil just combined, scraping down the sides. Add in the rest of the dry and mix until combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, pecans and 9 of the chopped caramels. Reserve the other three for topping the cookies with. Cover or seal the dough and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours and up to 48 hours.
- Line or spray a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350℉. Scoop 2 tbsp size cookies and ensure they're at least 2 inches apart on the pan. Top with the leftover chopped caramel and more chocolate chips if you desire.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges just start to feel firm. Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days and enjoy!
