Easy Turtle Cookies
Turtle cookies are full of the classic candy flavors like rich chocolate, crunchy pecans, and gooey caramel. Using a kitchen shortcut, you can have these delicious and pretty treats in no time!
When someone mentions turtles, I’m hoping they mean the delicious candy made with caramel, pecans, and chocolate. Not the reptiles, although I do think they are cute. All those yummy flavors make the perfect candy and now they make the perfect cookie.
The genius shortcut here is cookie mix, which does more than just save time. Just like these chocolate mint cookies, and these toffee cookies, it makes it easier to get the dough ready for baking. And you closer to eating cookies!
Whip up a few batches of these for your next cookie exchange, bake sale, or the perfect afternoon treat! Delicious and pretty without all the fuss!
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Cookie mix – Use chocolate chip cookie mix, but feel free to substitute a plain chocolate cookie or sugar cookie mix. But you will need to add some chocolate somewhere to get the true “turtle” flavor.
- Cocoa – Use Dutch processed cocoa powder because it’s smoother. For more chocolate flavor, use dark chocolate cocoa powder.
- Nuts – Traditionally pecans are used when making turtles, but you can use almonds, walnuts, and even peanuts.
- Caramel – Thankfully there are caramel baking bits so you don’t have to unwrap all those individual caramel candies! If you do use them, or the Werther’s soft caramels, chop or cut them into small pieces to make melting easier.
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How To Make Turtle Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Prep baking sheets with parchment paper or baking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and cookie mix.
- Add in the butter, egg, and 4 tablespoons of the cream. Beat together to form a soft dough. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky
- Stir in ⅓ cup of the pecans and mix into the dough. Pour the rest of the pecans in a shallow bowl.
- Scoop the cookie dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon portions and roll into balls. Roll each ball into the chopped pecans to coat them.
- Place rolled cookie dough balls on the baking sheet about 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set and the top starts to crack. Remove from the oven and let cookie sit on the sheet another 5-10 minutes. Remove and cool completely.
- Add the caramel bits to a microwave safe bowl and add the rest of the heavy cream (1 ½ tbls). Heat for 30 seconds and then stir well. Continue with 10-15 second increments and stirring until the caramel is smooth. Drizzle over the cookies and serve warm or cooled.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Storage
Keep these in an airtight container or bag for 2-3 days. If you want to keep them longer, I recommend keeping them in the fridge.
Be careful when eating as the caramel can get stiff when very cold.
How To Freeze
Once the cookies are baked and drizzled, cool them completely and make sure the caramel is set. Layer the cookies between parchment paper or wax paper and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight before you try to eat them because the caramel can be stiff.You can certainly freeze the cookies for 2-3 months.
Variations
- Swap the chocolate chip cookie mix for a plain chocolate cookie or sugar cookie mix. But don’t forget the chocolate chips to get the full turtle flavor!
- Skip the pecans and use walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, or even peanuts.
- Sprinkle the soft caramel with flaky sea salt before it sets to give you the sweet and salty flavor everyone loves.
- Chopped Heath bars or toffee bits and add to the dough along with the pecans.
- Skip the cookie dough all together and make these turtle wonton cookies instead!
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s the delicious combination of chocolate, pecans, and caramels.
Yes, you can. Prep the dough and then wrap tightly and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Remove and bake as usual!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Mix it up – Substitute sugar cookie mix and add 1 cup chocolate chips. Use unsalted butter with a pinch of salt to control levels.
- Perfect texture – Toast the pecans for nuttier flavor. Chill dough if cookies spread too much. Bake just until edges set and tops crack (don’t over bake!)
- Easy baking – Line sheets with parchment paper for cleanup. Test bake 1-2 cookies first to get timing right.
- Caramel drizzle – Let cookies cool on sheet 5-10 minutes before moving and cooling completely. Melt caramels in short increments (1-2 minutes total), adding a teaspoon of cream if too thick. Drizzle over a wire rack to prevent pooling around the outside of the cookies.
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This turtle cookie recipe is super easy to make with a shortcut and full of flavor and texture! Not to mention, they are absolutely gorgeous!!
Turtle Cookies
Ingredients
- 17.5 ounces chocolate chip cookie mix
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 10 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 1 large egg
- 5 ½ tablespoons heavy cream divided
- 2 cups chopped pecans divided
- 1 cup caramel bits
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the chocolate chip cookie mix and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl until combined.
- Add in the softened butter, large egg and 4 Tablespoons heavy cream and beat with a hand or stand mixer until a soft dough forms. The dough should be thick and slightly sticky.
- Stir in ⅓ cup of the chopped pecans to the dough and place the remaining chopped pecans in a shallow bowl.
- Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to roll the dough into evenly sized balls and then roll each cookie lightly in chopped pecan and place on the baking sheets, about 1 ½ inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set and the top is cracked.
- Allow the cookies to cool 5-10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make the caramel, place the caramel bits in a microwave safe bowl and pour the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of heavy cream over the top.
- Heat for 30 seconds and then stir well.
- Continue heating in 10-15 second increments and stirring well until the caramel is smooth and completely melted. This may take up to 1 or 2 minutes of heating but should be done in short increments. If the caramel is too thick, you can add a teaspoon of cream to thin it out.
- Drizzle the caramel over the cookies and serve warm or cooled.
Notes
- Mix it up – Substitute sugar cookie mix and add 1 cup chocolate chips. Use unsalted butter with a pinch of salt to control levels.
- Perfect texture – Toast the pecans for nuttier flavor. Chill dough if cookies spread too much. Bake just until edges set and tops crack (don’t over bake!)
- Easy baking – Line sheets with parchment paper for cleanup. Test bake 1-2 cookies first to get timing right.
- Caramel drizzle – Let cookies cool on sheet 5-10 minutes before moving and cooling completely. Melt caramels in short increments (1-2 minutes total), adding a teaspoon of cream if too thick. Drizzle over a wire rack to prevent pooling around the outside of the cookies.
Nutrition
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