Delightful chocolate nut thumbprint cookies with a caramel filling and chocolate drizzle.
I’ve seen these Turtle Thumbprint Cookies here and there around the Internet, but for some crazy reason, I never got around to trying them until now.
I don’t know why I waited so long because they are fantastic! I mean, there’s a little pool of caramel in the center. What’s not to love about that?
I made these earlier this week, and I just wanted to let you know– SO GOOD!!! Scrumptious, in fact! I am totally making them again for our family holiday party. Many thanks for sharing this recipe! ~ Robin
It would not be an exaggeration to say that these cookies shot straight to the top of my must make Christmas cookie list.
Besides all that caramel, I love that the dough isn’t too sweet.
I find that a food processor is the best way to finely chop the nuts, but I’ve also used my blender with good results. You do want to make sure they’re finely chopped though, otherwise it’s hard to get a nicely shaped cookie.
You also want to be sure to use actual caramels in the recipe, as directed. It’s tempting to just use prepared caramel sauce, but it just doesn’t set up well enough for these cookies.
I just made these and they came out perfect! Thank you! Tomorrow I’m getting more caramels to make more for my cookie trays. A keeper. ~ Wendy
I mean, technically it would work, but it would be really, really messy. If you really want to go all out, you could even use homemade caramels!
With a drizzle of chocolate, these Turtle Thumbprint Cookies are as pretty as they are delicious. I always double the recipe. With five of us, a single batch wouldn’t last a day!
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT TURTLE THUMBPRINT COOKIES
These were such a hit! Delicious and easy. Thank you. This recipe is a keeper! ~ Patti
I made these and they were great. I used dark cocoa since that is what I had and had to substitute caramel filled Hershey kisses for the caramel filling. They were amazing. Had to hide them from myself. ~ Kim
Found your cookies and made them yesterday and decided once I put the caramel in the cookie to place a whole pecan on top and then drizzled…love them and the extra crunch of the pecan. ~ Shelley
These are the perfect little cookie to make for Christmas! I was thinking of making some of these up to put in little gift bags as part of my Christmas baskets I give out every year. Thanks so much! ~ Jan
I made these earlier this week, and I just wanted to let you know– SO GOOD!!! Scrumptious, in fact! I am totally making them again for our family holiday party. Many thanks for sharing this recipe! ~ Robin
Be sure to save this Turtle Thumbprint Cookies recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
- Flour
- Cocoa powder
- Salt
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla
- Pecans
- Caramels
- Heavy cream
- Chocolate chips
Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg separated, plus 1 additional egg white
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup pecans very finely chopped
- 18-20 caramels unwrapped
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or melting chocolate optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, and salt.
- With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Reduce speed to low and blend in flour mixture. Cover dough and refrigerate for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Place chopped pecans in another bowl. Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, and then roll in pecans, coating evenly.
- Place cookies about 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just set.
- Meanwhile, microwave the caramels and cream together in a small bowl for one minute. Stir and return to the microwave in 20-30 second increments, until caramel is melted and smooth.
- 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 about 10 minutes before transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the Chocolate Drizzle (optional). Place chocolate 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.
- Alternately, chocolate can be melted in the microwave at 50% power. Snip a small corner from the bag and drizzle chocolate over cookies.
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Nutrition
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28 comments
Teresa
They turned out great but do you need to refrigerate them because of the cream in the caramel
Mary Pidgeon
I am always looking for new cookie recipes to try out on my husband’s co-workers, they love it and it’s fun for me. Gonna try this one. Thanks for sharing
Anna
Question: How well would these ship? Does the caramel firm up or does it remain rather soft to try to package. They look so good!
Irene
Can the turtle cookies be frozen?
Danelle
Yes they can.
Patti
These were such a hit! Delicious and easy. Thank you. This recipe is a keeper!
Kim
I made these and they were great. I used dark cocoa since that is what i had and had to substitute caramel filled Hershey kisses for the caramel filling. They were amazing. Had to hide them from myself.
Wendy Edmond
I just made these and they came out perfect! Thank you! Tomorrow I’m getting more caramels to make more for my cookie trays. A keeper. Pecan half suggested seems like a great idea to try too.
Lori
all purpose flour or self rising?
Danelle
All purpose
Stacy
Do you measure the pecans before or after they are crushed?
Danelle
Before
Fanny
Is the cookies can be frozen, if yes how much time? Thanks
Danelle
Yes, they can be frozen, for a few months.
Shelley
Hi
Found your cookies and made them yesterday and decided once I put the caramel in the cookie I place a whole pecan on top and then drizzled…love them and the extra crunch of the pecan …thanks for the recipe
Danelle
Thank you! I love the whole pecan idea. I’ll definitely give that a try!
Charlie
Great recipe. My issue is the spreading. My balls spread out and lose their form. Maybe its the oven ? I pretty much had to make an indention on a thin cookie which didn’t work out well….. Tasted great just didn’t meet my expectations … How to avoid ?
Danelle
I have not had problems with mine spreading too much. You do have to remake the indentation after baking though. But they shouldn’t have been too thin to do that. Maybe try a bit more flour or a little less butter?
Jan
These are the perfect little cookie to make for Christmas! I was thinking of making some of these up to put in little gift bags as part of my Christmas baskets I give out every year. Thanks so much!
Danelle
Thanks Jan!
Robin
I found your recipe/blog via the 30+ Festive Cookie Recipe round-up post. I made these earlier this week, and I just wanted to let you know– SO GOOD!!! Scrumptious, in fact! I am totally making them again for our family holiday party. Many thanks for sharing this recipe!
Danelle
Thanks so much Robin!
Laurie
These look so good. Have you ever tried baking them, pulling out making an indentation and then put the caramel in and put it back into the stove? Kind of like how you make chocolate thumbprints. Anyhoo, just curious. Can’t wait to try and make these :0)
Christina
How much shortening for the drizzle?
Teresa
These look so delectable, Danelle. They’ll have to go on the holiday baking list for sure!
Joanne
I love these cookies! Thanks Danelle.
Sarah @ bonjoursucre
They look great! I love Christmas time – it offers the perfect excuse to bake large amounts of cookies and use a lot of butter. Thanks for sharing the recipe – I love the combination of nuts and caramel. The photo is making me hungry!
Betty
Every time I see these cookies I want to make them but I’ve never gotten around to it either. They’re going to the top of my list now though- I’m pretty sure I’ll need a double batch too! 🙂