Chocolate Turtle Cookies

These cookies have a showstopping look and taste fantastic too!  I went a little heavy on the caramel topping, but I liked more caramel with the dense chocolate cookie and the pecans.  These are a little tricky to transport…the caramel stays sticky even after it cools, so these cookies don’t stack well.  This was one of the cookies I didn’t get a picture of before we gave them all away, but they really did look just like this (grainy) picture!

Chocolate Turtle Cookies

from Cook’s Country, December 2008

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 tbsp butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, separated, plus 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans, chopped fine
• 14 soft caramel candies
• 3 tbsp heavy cream

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.  Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in bowl.  With electric mixer on medium high speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated.  Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined.  Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 1 hour.

Whisk egg white in another bowl until frothy.  Place pecans in another bowl.  One at a time, roll dough into 1 inch balls, dip in egg whites, then roll in pecans.  Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Using teaspoon measure, make indentation in center of each ball.  Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.

Meanwhile, microwave caramels and cream in a bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.  Once cookies are removed from oven, gently press existing indentations with teaspoon measure.  Fill each with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon caramel mixture.  Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.