This Turtle Cookie Recipe has got all the vibes of classic turtles – think chocolate, caramel, and pecans – and, get this, they’re even shaped like adorable little turtles. The soft chocolate cookie’s got that perfect chewy center of salty, caramel goodness in the middle which is next level!
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One of my favorite candies to eat growing up were turtles. Fannie Mae was my jam, and I loved going to the counter in the mall to grab a few. I just adored the mix of chocolate, caramel, and pecans and would eat these more than any other candy. I think they are just the perfect combo of all sweet and salty flavors in one treat.
I simply knew I had to make my favorite turtle candies and turn them into a cookie! The results is a whole mood! Caution! You might find yourself eating a few too many of these turtle cookies if you stick around the pan while they are cooling.
Just a fair warning. Regardless of whether you overindulge or not, they are the perfect way to reminisce about memories from the past. Fannie Mae, this goes out to you!
If you love these turtle cookies, you will also love this Turtle Layer Cake, Hot Chocolate Cookies and Mississippi Mud Cookies.
Why You’ll Love These Turtle Cookies
- A Great Chocolate Cookie. The chocolate cookie base is perfectly soft and flavorful.
- Kid-Friendly Baking. These cookies are so much fun to make with your kids. My baby girl Harmony loves baking cookies with me in the kitchen. These are a hit!
- Perfect Combination! Chocolate, pecans, and caramel make an amazing flavor combination.
- A Unique Cookie! These shaped cookies are perfect for kids’ birthday parties, bake sales, and themed events!
Ingredients to Make This Turtle Cookie Recipe
These cookies are made using simple, easy-to-find baking ingredients. Let’s look at the main ingredients you need:
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the best results. Make sure you pull it out early so it can warm up to room temperature.
- Sugar: This recipe uses a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Egg: Adds some moisture and binds the cookie dough together.
- Pure vanilla extract: Make sure you are not using imitation vanilla which unfortunately won’t result in an authentic vanilla flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Necessary to give your turtle cookies the right texture and structure.
- Leavening: Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt: Just a bit to enhance the chocolate flavor and balance the sweetness.
- Cocoa powder: Adds the perfect bitter, chocolate flavor to the cookies.
- Caramel candies: These are small candies that are individually wrapped and sold in a bag. We will be using them for the caramel centers.
- Pecans: Make sure to buy whole pecans for the most turtle-like look.
- Chocolate sauce: The finishing touch on these turtle cookies!
How to Make This Turtle Cookie Recipe
These cookies are pretty easy to make and any level baker will easily be able get into this! Here’s a look at the main steps but you can find all the details in the recipe card.
Making the Cookie Dough
- Combine the butter and both sugars in a bowl and beat until the mixture is nice and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix again until they are well incorporated into the mixture.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until everything is mixed into the cookie dough. Refrigerate the dough for 30-45 minutes so it will be easier to work with when shaping the cookies.
Shaping the Turtle Cookies
- Shape the dough into medium-sized balls and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Place one piece of unwrapped caramel candy in the center of each cookie ball and press down to flatten. Add 4-5 pecans on the bottoms of the cookie balls to give the cookies a turtle shape.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until they are nice and browned and the caramel has melted through. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and serve!
Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Turtle Cookies
- Use a medium-sized cookie scoop to make even-sized turtle cookies.
- Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature for easier and more thorough mixing.
- Let the cookies cool slightly on the tray before moving them to a rack to cool. This allows them to set a bit so they don’t break or lose their feet.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Swap the Chocolate Sauce: Use can use peanut butter sauce or caramel sauce instead.
- Nut-Free: You can easily make this cookie recipe nut-free by simply ditching the pecans for a chocolate caramel cookie.
- No Caramel Candies? You can also use a Hershey’s Kiss or other meltable chocolate or caramel candy to add different flavors.
- Salted Caramel: Lightly sprinkle some coarse salt right after the cookies come out of the oven.
What to Serve with Chocolate Turtle Cookies
- Add these cookies to a cookie tray or platter for parties along with salted caramel chocolate chip cookies and Butterfinger brown butter cookies.
- Enjoy them with a cup of hot chocolate.
- Top off a bowl of ice cream with a turtle cookie! Try it with cookie butter ice cream or mocha fudge swirl ice cream.
- Use a handful of turtle cookies to decorate this animal cookie ice cream cake.
How to Store This Turtle Cookie Recipe
After they’re cooled down all the way, store in an airtight container at room temperature. Place the container somewhere where it is cool and dry such as a cabinet or pantry. If you leave them out on the counter just make sure they aren’t near the sun.
How long will turtle cookies last?
When properly stored, these cookies will last up to five days.
Can I freeze chocolate turtle cookies?
Yep. you sure can! Wrap them up in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to three months. Allow them to thaw out on the counter overnight before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s because when the ingredients are piled onto and added to the cookies they take on the shape of turtles.
They may include a variety of different baking ingredients but will almost always include chocolate, pecans, and caramels which are the flavors associated with turtle candies.
Since it can be visually a bit difficult to determine when your cookies are ready, you can go by texture instead. Look to see if the edges are dry and set. You can even lightly press on the edges to check them. It’s ok if the middles are slightly soft especially since the caramel is in the center.
These chocolate turtle cookies are so delish and fun to make! I am so sure you and your family will adore these! If you’ve got the time, don’t forget to get the kids in the mix to help you bake some up!
More Cookies Recipes
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Key Lime Pie Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies
- Raspberry Gooey Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Turtle Cookie Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 package wrapped CHEWY caramel candies make sure they are the soft ones and not hard candy
- 1 package pecans
- ganache or chocolate sauce warmed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and both sugars to the bowl and mix until nice and fluffy.
- Next add in the egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix until well incorporated.
- While mixture is creaming, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
- Lastly, add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated. Place the dough in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes to chill up a bit.
- Remove dough from refrigerator. Next roll a medium large scoop of dough into a ball and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Place 1 unwrapped caramel candy in the center of each cookie ball and press down to flatten. Press 3-4 pecans on the bottoms of the cookie balls to resemble a turtle shape.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until they are nice and browned and the caramel has melted through.
- Next drizzle chocolate sauce over cookies and serve.
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Absolutely delicious! I made this nut-free by using allergy-safe caramel candy and omitting the pecans.
These cookies were featured on Good Morning America on their 12 days of Christmas Cookies. It is the exact same recipe except yours has 1 cup of butter & the other recipe has 1/2 cup., other than that it’s exact. Your thoughts?
No this has the same measurement except it is written differently. 1 stick of butter equals 1/2 cup of butter. Will make the edit here since this was an older recipe.
I made these with a gluten-free all purpose flour mixture of tapioca starch, almond flour, and coconut flour. They turned out great!! Baked for 12 minutes and they came out perfectly chewy. Didn’t even bother with the caramel candy or chocolate sauce. I’ll be baking these again for sure!!
I can’t wait to make these, Jocelyn! Could you add the Pinterest button on the recipe so I can save it like I did for your other recipes? Thanks!
So strange. There should be a pinterest button on all recipes. Were you able to locate it?
Interesting article!! Thanks for sharing the cookies recipe with us. I am not so good in cooking but love to taste different recipes. I love chocolate very much and the product with chocolate. I always buy chocolate from this http://www.chocholik.com/shop/collection/store. Here I found collection of cake and cookies.
Yum, these look great. I’d never heard of them before here in Australia but I’m keen to try! Thanks for the idea.
Absolutely happy to share!
Holy cow, my first visit and I’m drooling all over the keyboard. I loved turtles when I lived in the states. These are so mine. 🙂
Aren’t turtles the absolute best? I adore them too!
OMG, Jocelyn. I’m sitting here wanting something sweet to eat and I open your blog. My mouth is watering looking at these cookies. They look amazing! I watched your segment on the Chicago Fox channel today. Great job. It was great to see you in action! 🙂
Bill @ http://www.southernboydishes.com
Thanks so much Bill! I really appreciate it!
these are the first turtles I’ve ever seen that LOOK like turtles!!! Cute as all get out!
Thanks so much! They actually do look like Turtles!
These edible turtles are almost too cute to eat. Almost. 😀 They look deliciously addicting.
Thanks so much Valerie!!
I agree with Valerie.