Get ready to impress with this easy Turtle Thumbprint Cookies recipe! Decadent chocolate cookies rolled in pecans and filled with soft caramel make any cookie tray look extra special! Perfect for the holidays!
Looking for more delicious cookie recipes? Make sure to try my Linzer Cookies, Thumbprint Cookies and Whipped Shortbread Cookies!
I am seriously in the cookie making mood lately. Bryce got a beagle cookie jar for his birthday and he’s been asking to fill it up almost every day. We have so many cookies recipe that we love to make but these Turtle Thumbprint cookies are something special.
Not only are they gorgeous and oh-so delicious, but the boys love to help make them!
This recipe is terrific in that you can have little helpers for almost every step and that can’t really mess anything up 🙂 The cookies are just beautiful and would be perfect to bring to any party this holiday season and simple enough that you can easily make up a batch for your family any night of the week. I love the classic “turtle”combination of caramel, pecans, and chocolate – it just doesn’t get any better than this!
Their favorite part is making the indentions in the cookie dough. Now, f you have a helper with smaller fingers, you may want to secretly use your thumb or else there won’t be a lot of room for the caramel and that, my friends, would be a catastrophe.
Aren’t these the prettiest cookies EVER??? And by the way, these cookies aren’t just pretty on the outside, they’re quite yummy on the inside 🙂
More Christmas Cookies To Try
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Stained Glass Cookies
- Grinch Cookies
- Whipped Shortbread Cookies
- Peppermint Snowball Cookies
Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 egg divided
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- â…” cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 16 caramels
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1¼ cups chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon shortening
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and continue beating until combined and creamy. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time {trying to avoid a cocoa cloud – quite messy!} and beat until well combined.
- Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill for a couple hours.
- Chop the pecans pretty fine…
- Heat unwrapped caramels and whipping cream in a small saucepan over low heat until nice and smooth.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll the balls in slightly beaten egg white. Then roll in pecans until coated. Reece did an entire tray all by himself and he's six. Bryce's balls were not exactly round per se, but who cares!
- Place balls on a lightly greased cookie sheet about one inch apart. Use your thumb to press in the center, making an indention.
- If you have a helper with smaller fingers, you may want to secretly use your thumb or else there won’t be a lot of room for the caramel and that, my friends, would be a catastrophe.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are set. If the indention has disappeared during baking, use a measuring spoon to re-create the indention.
- Spoon caramel mixture into the center of the cookies and remove to a wire rack and let cool. {If the caramel has thickened too much, just reheat on low until it reaches a thinner consistency.}
- Be careful not to overfill the cookies…
- Once the cookies have cooled, melt chocolate chips and shortening in microwave by heating in 15 second intervals, stirring in between.
- Drizzle the chocolate over the tops of the cookies and get ready to enjoy!
Nutrition
Some of my favorite cookie recipes:
Reese’s Freezer-Friendly Oatmeal Cookies
For all appetizer recipes, go HERE.
For all dessert recipes, go HERE.
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Have a great day!
Fabric Bows and More says
YUM! come and join our link party: http://fabricbowsandmore.blogspot.com/
HungryLittleGirl says
I am in love with those cookies!
I would love to have you share this (or any other of your recipes) at Wednesday Extravaganza – my Foodie Link Party, and maybe claim a spot with a lifetime feature on my Wall of Fame. Here is the link:
http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/1/post/2012/10/october-31st-2012.html
Can’t wait to see you there!
Jennifer says
Wow! Talk about yummy! Thanks for sharing at Show & Share, featuring you tomorrow!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
I would love a couple of these right now!
Elisa says
They look amazing! I will have to try these…
Nici - Posed Perfection says
Oh, my…Wow! These look delish! Thanks for sharing!
Blessings,
Nici
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
Ooooooh, Trish. I need these in my life!
Diana Miller says
Can you come to my house and make these for me? lol Those look sooooo yummy!!! Thanks for linking up!! 🙂 XOXO
Kaz @ Melting Moments says
My mouth is watering looking at these! Oh my hips!
Michelle's Tasty Creations says
Holy Moly these are amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe. I make a Cream Cheese Thumbprint that is different than the tradition jam one but these are over the top!
Michelle
Christy @ My Invisible Crown says
These look amazing! I make a jam and shortbread thumbprint but these top them I am sure. I love turtles candies so I’m making these soon!
Heather says
These pretty much look amazing and perfect for the upcoming holiday season! Just added these to my must-make list–can’t wait to try them! 🙂
Elle says
These look so delicious, I had to pin them. =)
Hi I'm Shannon! says
These look FABULOUS!!!!
So Domesticated says
Are you kidding me!?! These look delectable…