Turtle Cookies

These scratch made Turtle Cookies are filled with melted chocolate and toasted pecans then drizzled with warm caramel. They’re baked in a muffin pan to form a delicious cookie cup to hold the ooey gooey turtle toppings.

Easy Turtle Cookies Recipe

What are turtles? Turtle candy features pecan halves smothered with gooey caramel and covered with a warm chocolate coating. These turtle cookies are baked in a muffin pan giving them a cookie cup shape. The milk chocolate-covered caramel makes a decadent topping paired with the crunch of the pecans for a rich and indulgent flavor. Chewy turtle candy and buttery sugar cookies combine to form one addictive treat. How do you make Turtle Cookie Cups: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

• Prepare Cupcake Pans and Heat Oven – Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the wells of two standard size muffin pans with baking spray. Set aside.
• Creamed Ingredients: In a large bowl use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream together butter, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla. Add the egg beating until fully incorporated.
• Flour Mixture – Gradually add the flour and salt on low speed until combined.
• Divide Cookie Dough – Divide into 2 Tablespoons and shape dough into balls. Press onto the bottom and sides of each cup.
• Oven – Bake until golden brown per the recipe.
• Make a Well in the Center – After baking gently press the centers of the cookies.
• Let the cookies cool for about 5-10 minutes in the pan then carefully remove them by using a butter knife or offset icing spatula to help lift them out of the wells. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Turtle Topping – In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips with the vegetable shortening until smooth.
• Assemble the Turtle Cookie Cups – Drizzle one Tablespoon of melted chocolate into the center of each cookie cup and top with about one Tablespoon of pecans. Press down lightly on the nuts with the back of a spoon to set.
• Melt Caramel – In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the caramel bits and heavy cream until smooth. Drizzle the caramel over the pecans.
• Let Set – Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack.

How to Make the Best Turtle Cookies Recipe

• Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Turtle Cookies: All purpose flour, butter, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, large egg, caramel bits or Kraft caramel squares, heavy cream, milk chocolate chips or melting wafers and chopped toasted pecans.
• Kitchen Tools you’ll need: Regular-sized 12 cup muffin pan, pastry tamper or you can use a small jar or a shot glass, large mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, a hand mixer or a stand mixer, rubber spatula and cooling rack.
• To test the dough, squeeze some of the dough, and if it holds together it’s good to go.
• If using salted butter, omit the ¼ teaspoon salt.
• Baking spray (the one with flour) tends to work better than regular cooking spray. In a pinch, you could butter and flour the muffin cups just as you would when baking a cake .
• One thing you can do when using butter to grease the pans is; to use the butter wrapper to avoid getting butter on your hands.
• After baking, it’s important to allow ample time for the cookie crust to settle and begin to cool. Don’t try and remove the cookies from the pan too quickly as they won’t be set up and will be more likely to crumble.
• Ghirardelli milk chocolate melting wafers would be a wonderful alternative to milk chocolate chips and they melt easily, too.
• Substitution – If you find that Caramel bits aren’t available  you can use unwrapped Kraft caramels to make the caramel drizzle for the tops. You would likely need to start with around 20. You can always melt more caramel, if needed.
• Adding the cream to the caramel bits helps to soften the texture and makes it easy to drizzle while allowing it to set up as it cools.
• For a sweet and salty twist, you can sprinkle flaked sea salt on top of the cookie cups after drizzling with caramel, if desired.
• For this recipe when the caramel sets up, it gets fairly firm (like the caramel in a turtle). It’s not like a caramel sauce or ice cream topping. If you think you’d prefer a thinner caramel You could use a quality store bought caramel sauce or ice cream topping like Ghirardelli’s or Smuckers. However, those caramels will be more likely to run off the tops of the cookies. I wouldn’t recommend adding that type of caramel until right before serving.
• You can gently reheat these Turtle Cookie Cups in the microwave for a few seconds if you’d like to enjoy them warm after you make them.
• The milk chocolate and pecans were specifically chosen to mimic the flavor profile of a turtle. You could cashews or walnuts to change up the flavor profile.
• Storage and Leftovers: Store Turtle Cookies in an airtight container chilled in the fridge for up to 5 days or at room temperature for up to 3 days. Allow the cookies to come to room temperature for serving.
• Freezer Storage: You can also freeze these cookies for up to 2 months.

More Easy Cookie Recipes to Make

• Grilled Pineapple Kabobs with Cookie Bowls you can will with vanilla ice cream.
• Butter Pecan Cookies filled with toasted pecans and toffee bits.
• Loaded Turtle Cookie Bars are sure to become a family favorite.
• You may have everything you need on hand to make these Classic Soft Peanut Butter Cookies.
• Molasses Cookies are chewy and sweet.
• White Chocolate Cherry Pudding Cookies are the perfect way to say I love you.
• White Chocolate Oreo Cookie Balls from My Recipes.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Mixing Bowls
• Baking Sheets
• Measuring Set
• Mixer