Butter Pecan Turtle Cookies
Butter pecan turtle cookies are a delicious twist on classic turtle brownies. They combine a buttery shortbread crust, gooey caramel layer, and decadent milk chocolate, all studded with crunchy pecans. It's basically a party in your mouth!
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg white
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 20 caramel candies unwrapped
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup pecan halves
- 1 tsp salt flakes optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheet(s) with parchment and set aside.
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and softened butter.
- Add in the vanilla and egg while and mix thoroughly.
- Switch the mixer attachment to the paddle. Add in the flour and baking powder and combine until the mixture forms a dough and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough until it is ¼-½ inch thick. Using a 3-inch or similar size round cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can and transfer to the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Save the scraps and reroll until the dough is gone.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes - just until the edges are set and the bottoms are just slightly starting to brown. If the cookies are overbaked, they will be more dry and not as soft. Allow to cool while preparing the toppings.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the unwrapped caramel pieces and the heavy whipping cream. Heat for 30 seconds at a time and whisk well between each interval. The caramels will scorch if they are overheated so heat in short increments and stir often.
- Transfer the melted caramel to a piping bag. Working quickly, pipe spirals of caramel on each cookie. Alternatively, you can use two spoons or a spatula to spread the caramel on each cookie, but we found it quicker and less messy to use a piping bag. Allow the caramel to cool and harden at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Once the caramel has cooled and reset, melt the chocolate. Using a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in 30-second increments and stir between each interval. Again, do not overheat the chocolate either as it can scorch easily as well. Once smooth, scoop a dollop of chocolate and spread it across the caramel on each cookie using the back of the spoon or a spatula.
- Place one pecan half (or a sprinkling of chopped pecans) over the chocolate.
- OPTIONAL - sprinkle with additional flaked sea salt.
- Allow the cookies to set and the chocolate to solidify before serving.
Notes
Storage: Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen for 3 months.