Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
Servings: 42 cookies
Calories: 109cal
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Cookie scoop 1 Tablespoon scoop
Ingredients
- 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 whipping cream
Optional Garnish
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted for drizzling
- flaked sea salt for sprinkling on top
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.
Video
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 109cal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.4mg