Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 8 Tbl (1 stick) butter, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg separated, plus 1 egg white
- 2 Tbl milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 120 pecan halves
- 14 soft caramel candies
- 3 Tbl heavy cream
- 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 tsp shortening
Directions
- Prepare the Cookies:
- 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.
- Arrange pecan halves on baking sheet in groups of 4, about 2 inches apart. These will be the turtle's feet.
- Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls. (Recipe should produce 30 cookies)
- Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Place chopped pecans in another bowl. For each ball: dip in egg whites, roll top 2/3rds in pecans, push firmly on top of pecan feet. (May have to push feet together if they spread apart) 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.
- Prepare 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.
- Prepare the Chocolate Drizzle:
- 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.