These turtle thumbprint cookies begin with a soft chocolate cookie dough base that’s studded with crunchy pecans and then filled with a smooth and creamy caramel center.
Why this recipe works
Turtle thumbprint cookies are basically a marriage between chocolate turtles and chocolate thumbprint cookies that combine to create a soft, chewy, and pecan-clustered cookie for Christmas! Does it get any better than this? These cookies are brimming with different textures between the soft cookie base, the richly smooth caramel filling, and the nutty pecan crunch on the outside.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
DOUGH – It’s important to have your butter at room temperature and to always measure your flour correctly when it comes to cookie doughs. Too much flour will produce a crumbly, dry cookie dough. First, aerate your flour with a spoon by gently mixing the flour, ridding of any clumps or packed down areas. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup, lightly. Do not tap or pack the flour into the measuring cup. Level the measuring cup with a straight edge, something like the back end of a butter knife. Use the same process to measure your cocoa powder.
FILLING – We used 20 Kraft baking caramels, the kind that come individually wrapped. Using heavy cream when melting will create silky rich caramel perfect for dolloping into the center of these cookies. Heavy cream is preferable over milk as it has a higher fat content.
How to Make Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, granulated and brown sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides as needed.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Then add to the stand mixer bowl and run until a thick dough starts to form. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before forming the cookies.
EXPERT TIP – The longer you refrigerate the less they will spread, but this will make a thicker cookie and may require more caramel in the center. For this recipe we chilled for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop, roll a ball of dough into the chopped pecans and place the cookie onto a baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies, placing them at least 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Press the middle of the cookies down with the back of a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon. Bake for 10 minutes.
- When the cookies are out of the oven and still hot, reform the center with a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon as the cookies will have risen in the oven. Repeat the baking process with the remaining dough.
- While the cookies are cooling, start melting your caramel. Add a small amount of water to a pot and place a heat-safe bowl on top, ensuring the bowl will not get wet once boiling. Place caramels and heavy cream in the bowl and melt them down on low, stirring constantly.
EXPERT TIP – To speed up this process you can bring the water to boil on high, reduce to low, then add the bowl on top.
- Quickly fill the center of each cookie with caramel sauce and sprinkle with flaked sea salt if desired.
- To add a chocolate drizzle, melt 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl over the stove top, similar to the caramel (this will not require heavy cream). Add to a piping bag or drizzle over with a spoon. This amount will make enough for the full batch.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Yes, you can freeze the dough for these cookies. To freeze, roll the dough into balls (without the nuts) and place onto a baking sheet to flash freeze. Remove the dough balls from the freezer once solid and transfer to a large ziptop bag or air-tight container. Store the cookie dough balls in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow dough to rest after removing from the freezer, then follow the instructions for rolling the balls into chopped pecans and creating the thumbprint indentations. Bake according to directions. You may also store the baked and cooled cookies in an air-tight container or large ziptop bag in the freezer for around 1 month. Allow to come to room temperature before enjoying.
Store your baked cookies in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Yes, absolutely. You can fully bake and prepare the cookies a day in advance and store them in an air-tight container or sealed ziptop bag kept at room temperature. Or, you can prepare the dough and refrigerate it the day before you plan on baking. If you plan on preparing the dough a day in advance, do note that the longer the dough is chilled, the thicker your cookies may end up being which may require more caramel filling to balance it out.
Serving Suggestions
You can dress up your turtle thumbprint cookies with a drizzle of either melted chocolate, caramel, or both. Optionally top with flaked sea salt or chopped pecans. The choice is yours!
These cookies are a great addition to cookie swaps around the holidays and make a sweet gift for your neighbors, friends, or family when wrapped in cellophane bags and tied with a bow.
More Cookie Recipes
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Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt a pinch
- 1 ½ cups pecans finely chopped
Caramel Filling
- 20 Kraft baking caramels
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Optional Garnish
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted for drizzling
- flaked sea salt for sprinkling on top
Things You’ll Need
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Cookie scoop 1 Tablespoon scoop
Before You Begin
- It’s important to have your butter at room temperature (softened) and to always measure your flour correctly when it comes to cookie doughs. Too much flour will produce a crumbly, dry cookie dough. First, aerate your flour with a spoon by gently mixing the flour, ridding of any clumps or packed down areas. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup, lightly. Do not tap or pack the flour into the measuring cup. Level the measuring cup with a straight edge, something like the back end of a butter knife. Use the same process to measure your cocoa powder.
- Store your baked cookies in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- To freeze, roll the dough into balls (without the nuts) and place onto a baking sheet to flash freeze. Remove the dough balls from the freezer once solid and transfer to a large ziptop bag or air-tight container. Store the cookie dough balls in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow dough to rest after removing from the freezer, then follow the instructions for rolling the balls into chopped pecans and creating the thumbprint indentations. Bake according to directions.
- You may also store the baked and cooled cookies in an air-tight container or large ziptop bag in the freezer for around 1 month. Allow to come to room temperature before enjoying.
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, granulated and brown sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides as needed.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Then add to the stand mixer bowl and run until a thick dough starts to form. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before forming the cookies. TIP – The longer you refrigerate the less they will spread, but this will make a thicker cookie and may require more caramel in the center. For this recipe we chilled for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop, roll a ball of dough into the chopped pecans and place the cookie onto a baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies, placing them at least 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Press the middle of the cookies down with the back of a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon. Bake for 10 minutes.
- When the cookies are out of the oven and still hot, reform the center with a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon as the cookies will have risen in the oven. Repeat the baking process with the remaining dough.
- While the cookies are cooling, start melting your caramel. Add a small amount of water to a pot and place a heat-safe bowl on top, ensuring the bowl will not get wet once boiling. Place caramels and heavy cream in the bowl and melt them down on low, stirring constantly.TIP – To speed up this process you can bring the water to boil on high, reduce to low, then add the bowl on top.
- Quickly fill the center of each cookie with caramel sauce and sprinkle with flaked sea salt if desired.
- To add a chocolate drizzle, melt 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl over the stove top, similarly to the caramel (this will not require heavy cream). Add to a piping bag or drizzle over with a spoon. This amount will make enough for the full batch.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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