The 12 Days of Cookies: Turtle Cookies
Caramel, chocolate and nuts? Yeah, it’s a good cookie.
Turtle Cookies
Recipe from Anna Kinsella, Tea
Cookie:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, separated, plus 1 additional egg white
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
Caramel filling:
14 soft caramel candies
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Chocolate drizzle (optional):
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (2 squares of Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate)
1 teaspoon shortening
For the cookie: Combine flour, cocoa and salt; set aside. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk and vanilla; mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.
Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Place chopped pecans in another bowl. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites and then roll in pecans. Place balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 12 minutes.
For the caramel filling: Microwave caramels and cream together in a small bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Once cookies are removed from the oven, gently re-press the indentations. Fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the chocolate drizzle (optional): Place chocolate and shortening in a small zip-top plastic bag. Set bag in a bowl of warm water to soften. Gently knead the chocolate with your fingers until melted and smooth, placing back in the warm water for a minute or two as needed. Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag. Drizzle chocolate over the cooled Turtle Cookies.
Makes about 30 cookies.
