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These insanely delicious turtle cookies start with a chocolate batter and are loaded with caramel pieces, pecans, and chocolate chips.
Chocolate caramel cookies are soft & chewy plus look at those puddles of caramel! Ready to eat in 30 minutes, you don’t have to chill the cookie dough!
Why You’ll Love Turtle Cookies
- loaded with caramel pieces, pecans and chocolate chips
- easy and quick to make because you don’t refrigerate the dough before baking
- chewy on the inside
- a fantastic Christmas cookie
If you like cookies that are slightly crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these will hit the spot.
Plus the combination of chocolate, pecans and caramel is on point.
And the best part is that you can modify the amount of add-ins you want. Want more pecans? Add them! More chocolate? Oh yes! Bigger puddles of caramel? Do it.
I’m thinking these turtle cookies will look pretty good on a Christmas cookie platter!
What You’ll Need
- all purpose flour – flour is necessary to build structure in cookies
- cocoa powder: adds deep chocolate flavor
- baking soda – helps to leaven and lift the dough
- unsalted butter – adds flavor and and tender texture
- brown sugar – adds sweetness & flavor, keeps the cookies moist and adds chewiness
- granulated sugar – adds sweetness, flavor and encourages browning
- egg – binds the cookies together by providing structure
- vanilla extract – adds flavor
- caramel squares – cut into small pieces, I recommend Kraft caramel squares
- chopped pecans – or walnuts, your choice!
- semi-sweet chocolate chips – I used a mix of regular and mini size
How to Make Turtle Cookies
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking together together. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Add in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture and the mix-ins. Mix just until combined. The dough will be very thick!
- Use a cookie scoop to form dough balls, pressing addition add-ins to the outside of each cookie.
- Bake on a silicone lined baking sheet for 10-14 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Cool for 10 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.
Baking Time Suggestions
For the turtle cookies in the photos, the dough balls were about 3 tbsp, so that’s a large cookie! I baked those for 12-14 minutes – just until the edge of the cookie would begin to look puffy. The result is a soft & chewy chocolate caramel pecan cookie!
If you make smaller dough balls, you should reduce the baking time otherwise the cookies will be over done.
Time Required
- 15 minutes to prep the dough
- 10-14 minutes to bake the cookies
- 10 minutes to cool
How to Freeze Turtle Cookie Dough
Portion the dough into cookie dough balls. Press extra caramel pieces, pecans and chocolate chips into the outside of the dough.
Place them on baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. You can place the dough balls close together since you won’t be baking them.
Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookies are frozen solid, about 1 hour.
Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to a ziplock freezer bag. Label the bag with baking directions.
Freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months.
To bake: remove the dough from the freezer. Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Bake for 14-17 minutes. Frozen cookies may need to bake for 1-2 minutes longer.
How to Make Gluten Free Turtle Cookies
I have made these cookies multiple times with King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour with great success.
Pro Tips
Properly measure the all purpose flour using the spoon and sweep method.
Use room temperature butter for easier creaming of the butter and sugar.
I learned that I prefer using caramel squares for this recipe over caramel bits. Chop the caramel squares into smaller pieces. The caramel squares melt more naturally in the oven creating beautiful puddles of caramel throughout the cookie.
Use a cookie scoop to form uniform balls.
Press extra caramel pieces, pecans, and chocolate chips on the outside of the dough balls before baking for a loaded cookie presentation like the photos!
Want to make this cookie dough a day in advance? Follow the directions to make the dough, then wrap it well in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
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Turtle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened, 1/2 cup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, regular or mini size
- ½ cup chopped caramel squares, use a knife to cut into small pieces
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Cut the caramel squares into small pieces with a knife.
- Combine the chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and caramel pieces in a bowl, mix. Reserve 1/2 cup for the outside of the cookie dough balls.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
- In a mixing bowl cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until fluffy, 1 minute. Add in the egg and vanilla, beat again. Add the flour mixture and the add ins (minus the 1/2 cup you’re reserving) to the wet mixture, mix with a spatula (or on low with a mixer) just until everything is combined
- Use a cookie scoop to form dough balls. Press the 1/2 cup of add-ins on the outside of the dough balls. This is optional but I like the way the cookies look when you can see the chocolate chips, caramel puddles and pecans on top.
- Place the cookies 3 inches apart on a silicone lined baking sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Hi, I was just reading your turtle cookie recipe & your caramel apple snickerdooles, I live in Canada & we don’t have Kraft caramel bits or any other manufacturers! Is there something I could substitute??? Also what’s the trick to pinning a single recipe, when I click on pin at bottom by your name/pic it gives me your entire site??
Thanks
Kathy
Hi Kathy! You could use chopped up caramels in place of the caramel bits!
Werthers
Kathy, I too live in Canada. (PEI) We can buy SKOR bits here. They work great!
My cookies didn’t flatten as the baked. What did I do wrong. I added the vanilla too late, because I didn’t see when you add it
Made these for the first time and everyone that tastes them loved them. They are rich and yummy and look like a bakery cookie!!!! Not difficult to make…..so try it and you will be happy you did!!!
Thank you! Not only is this recipe delicious and straightforward, you did not spend an eternity discussing an enormous amount of unnecessary information or postulating on how this could be the most superior recipe ever. You are direct, and your additional information is relative to any potential modifications that could be made. Thank you, from the deepest place of gratitude!
Mine didn’t flatten? Not sure what I did! ( or didn’t do)
Mine usually look puffy when I pull them out of the oven, but they flatten some as they cool.
Hello – was wondering if the Caramel in the cookie stays soft or if, when stored, becomes hard. Thanks.
In our opinion it stays soft enough to eat later!
Have you frozen the gluten free ones, either before or after baking?? I would like to make the cookie dough for my two granddaughters that can’t have gluten.
Hi Pat! I have frozen the gluten free ones after baking them, and they are awesome (frozen or thawed 🤩). I stash baked cookies in my freezer all the time!
Had to comment again as I was begged to make the gluten free ones again and take to my grandkids!! We loved them! I froze the balls of dough and then we could bake the amount we wanted and had delicious warm cookies!!
What is your reason for suggesting the candy over the bits?? You did not elaborate. Have you tried it with the bits??
I like that the caramel squares create more of a caramel puddle look as opposed to the caramel bits. Either would work great! The caramel bits don’t spread as much.
I’ve been making cookies for the workers on our project and these are, by far, their favorite. I couldn’t find Brach’s caramel squares, but used Werthers with a hammer. What I just found and works really well are Heath bar pieces. Thank you for sharing
Do you use sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder?
unsweetened cocoa powder – like hershey’s natural unsweetened cocoa powder!
I made these today and I am so happy! These cookies are flavor-packed, soft and chewy. I love them!! I will make a double batch next time, for sure!
Has anyone tried doubling or even tripling these? I’d love to make them for a cookie exchange but at 16-20 cookies a batch id be here forever making 12 dozen lol
I made a triple batch today and they turned out great! Chopping up the caramel squares was time consuming but it was well worth it!
I haven’t made these yet. It I always bake double or triple and it doesn’t take that much longer.