Chocolate Turtle Cookies 🐢

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup finely chopped raw pecans

12 soft caramels

Detailed Steps:

In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat on medium-low speed until just a few dry streaks remain. Add pecans and fold with a spatula until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 4.

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°.F Using a large cookie scoop (about 1/4 c.), scoop dough into rounds for a total of 12. Press your finger into center of dough to create a hole. Place a caramel in the center. Pinch dough back over caramel and roll into a ball. Arrange between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 3" apart.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets top to bottom halfway through, until puffed and edges are set, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on baking sheets.

Prep Time: 15 mins.

Total Time: 2 hrs.