Chocolate-Caramel-Pecan Turtle Cookies Recipe

This is a fun and delicious cookie made the traditional way for homemade turtles that taste seem like the store-bought candy verison.  If you do it according to the recipe with pecan halves (or broken to form long quarters), it will look like a turtle.  I have seen these same cookies made using a store-bought container of prepared chocolate frosting instead of melted semi-sweet chips as the final topping layer.  

I have also notice some people make similar recipes using chopped pecans either in the cookie dough or mixed in the chocolate topping to increase nut flavor and reduce the amount of work required.  Some versions with the nuts in the dough, make it a thumbprint-style with caramel and chocolate in center depression or they drizzle a checked pattern on the cookies (carmel lines run one way and chocolate crossing over the other way).  These are festive-looking cookies, but the drizzle style gives less of the sweet candy flavor.  If you like to make thumbprint cookies, try Chocolate Peanut Butter made with Hersey's Kisses..

Traditional Turtle Cookies

(makes 5 dozen)

Dough Ingredients:

1 butter-flavor crisco stick (or 1 cup if you do not have sticks)
2 Tablespoons milk
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4-5 cups flour (start with 4, and gradually add more if dough seems too wet and need sme to roll out dough)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Topping Ingredients:

18 carmels, unwrapped
2 Tablespoons milk
3 cups pecan halves
1 (6 ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cookie Steps:

1. In large bowl, mix crisco and sugar together.  Add milk, eggs, and vanilla until creamy.
2. In another bowl, mix together remaining dough dry ingredients.  Slowly add into and mix with creamy mixture.
3. Chill dough for 1 hour.
4. On lightly floured surface, roll out 1/3 dough at a time to about 1/4 inch thick.  Using a 2" or slightly larger  round cookie cutter or glass about the same size, cut cookie shapes from dough.
5. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake cookies 5-6 minutes until edges are lightly golden.
7. Allow cookies to cool on cooling rack.

Topping Steps:

1. Melt caramels and milk together in microwave.
2. Top cool cookies with caramel and allow to cool to soft-set.
3. Put five pecans around outside pressing lightly into carmel edges to form head and legs.
4. Melt chocolate chips in microwave.
5. Place melted chocolate in center if caramel, it does not have to touch pecans.  However, cookie may look better if it covers part of the pecan to seal it in place.
6. Cool completely.