I knew the moment I snuck a little bit of cookie dough that these were going to be a winner! Rich chocolate cookies filled with chocolate chips, pecans, caramel are delicious enough alone. Then I decided to sprinkle sea salt on top and drizzle each cookie with caramel… I mean WOW are these cookies everything and then some!

CHOCOLATE BASE

I knew when I was creating my new turtle cookies, that I wanted to incorporate the familiar turtle cookie flavors: pecans, caramel, and chocolate. However, I went back and forth between whether or not to use my chocolate cookie base or regular cookie base to tie everything together.

I felt a little bad on Instagram when I asked everyone if they wanted me to do either a chocolate or regular cookie base… and everyone voted regular cookie… and then I completely ignored everyone and went with a chocolate base instead!

I had been making a regular-cookie base cookies for a few weeks in a row and needed a change, is all. But hey, LOOK AT THESE COOKIES AND TELL ME I WAS WRONG?! Dang, the chocolate base was a home run. It made these less of a kitchen-sink cookie (still need to make those, I think), and more of a chocolate paradise for everything packed into it.

NUTS IN COOKIES

I’ve heard recently that cookies containing nuts isn’t something for everyone. I had to laugh because making turtle desserts without pecans completely changes what the dessert is about! Pecans are essential, so I knew I wasn’t going to skip that part. After all, nuts add a really awesome flavor to things, I don’t know why people write it off altogether – there’s so many flavor profiles they would be missing out on. I say lets make nuts in cookies a thing again.

After looking at this photo below, am I right?!

Drizzle drizzle

I thought the cookies were complete when I pulled them out of the oven. They smelled heavenly, they looked fantastic, and I couldn’t get enough of how well everything was turning out. However, adding on the caramel drizzle and an extra sprinkle of sea salt was a HOME RUN an don’t you dare skip this step. It’s beyond delicious, and adds a little gooey goodness on the outside to match the inside of these cookies.

Tips for success:

Here’s a few tips for making sure these cookies come out perfectly every time (which isn’t that hard because these are basically fool proof!)

  • Yes, 410 degrees on traditional (not convection bake) oven setting is perfect. Seems high, but trust me, it’s essential to nailing the toasted outside & gooey inside texture.
  • No need to mix together your dry ingredients beforehand. Just toss them right in and mix them together.
  • Eggs need to be cold, and same with your butter.
  • Make sure to completely cream together the butter and sugar before adding in the eggs and vanilla.
  • Press the add-ins below the cookie dough line. That way they don’t burn in the oven.
  • Reserve a few off the add-ins (chips, candy, cups) to press onto the outside of the cookie for a better cookie-look. Although, they will taste exactly the same either way 
  • I make mine the size of a baseball. They should flatten out slightly. If they flatten out all the way, your baking soda isn’t fresh enough. I’ve also noticed they flatten slightly as they cool, too. If you notice your first batch doesn’t flatten enough, then slightly press down on the next batch that’s headed into the oven.
  • If you decide to make these cookies smaller, just make sure to bake them a little less time and keep a close eye on them in the oven. They should still have the gooey center and golden outside texture.
  • No need to chill the cookies! That’s the best part!

That’s it! I have to say, usually with my cookies, I can maybe have a quarter or half before I feel like I’ve had my fill. With these, I have had to HIDE them because I can down an entire one of these cookies in seconds. I can’t stop. I won’t stop. So I don’t stop. haha.

I hope you guys have the same problem.

That said, I hope you guys have a fun time adding these tasty cookies to your dessert repertoire! I know I’ll be making them again and again to impress anyone with even a hint of a sweet tooth.

As always, I’d love to see your Baking with Blondie cookies! Make sure to tag me @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie so I can join in on the fun. 🙂

Xo,

Happy Baking!

Mandy

Get the Recipe: The Best Turtle Cookie

Thick and Giant Chocolate Cookies Filled with Chocolate Chips, Pecans, and Caramel, then sprinkled with sea salt and drizzled with even more caramel! These turtle cookies are everything any turtle-dessert-loving person could dream of!
Servings: 8 Giant Cookies
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 whole eggs , cold
  • 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup caramel balls/bits , I found these in the baking section next to the chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • sea salt for sprinkling at the end
  • 1 cup melted caramel, for drizzling

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 410 degrees F. Prep two large aluminum cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter for 1 minute until it's light and fluffy, then add in the sugars and cream together for 3 minutes on high speed.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add in the vanilla and eggs one at a time. Whip up well between each addition.
  • Add in the cocoa, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, and slowly mix together either by hand or on the lowest mixer speed. Don't overmix!
  • Reserve a little bit of the add-ins, then add in the rest to the batter. Mix in on the lowest speed again until just combined. Split the dough into 8 baseball-sized balls. Place 4 balls on each cookie sheet. Hand press on the reserved add-ins, making sure to press them in firmly below the dough line. Sprinkle on some sea salt.
  • Bake for 9-10 minutes. They should be slightly golden, thick, tall, and gooey in the center. Let them cool on the pan for 1 minute, drizzle with the caramel, then move them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • They will be super gooey the first day on the inside, then very soft the next day. Enjoy!