I am a fan of classic combinations. Strawberries and chocolate; chili and cornbread; spaghetti and meatballs; and etc. I’m esepcially fond of the “turtle” combo: chocolate, caramel and pecans.
I’ve long been a lover of caramel so any excuse to sneak it into cookies, I’ll take. I just adore this combination, especially the mix of sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy. I don’t think I’ve ever met a cookie that I don’t like and I’m very much a fan of this recipe.
If you are a fan of salty-and-sweet, this cookie is for you. The sea salt and pecans add perfect salt companionship to the chocolate and caramel. It’s the ultimate cookie flavor marriage. The base of this cookie recipe is from my favorite-ever chocolate chip cookies from Cook’s Illustrated New Best Recipes Cookbook, which is my favorite-ever cookbook, too. I use this base recipe for countless cookies and they always turn out so soft and chewy. I attribute this to the melted butter, the brown sugar content being higher than granulated, and the added egg yolk. The dough can’t be beat either. Please don’t make these without trying the dough, ok?!
Salted Turtle Cookies
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 36 1x
Description
A classic sweet and salty combo: chocolate, caramel and pecans.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick / 170 g) butter
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp. flour (10 5/8 oz)*
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup brown sugar (7 oz)*
- 1/2 cup sugar (3 1/2 oz)*
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp. almond extract*
- 1/2 cup (85 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) caramel bits
- 1/2 cup (55 g) chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) caramel sauce
- 1-2 tsp. coarse sea salt (I used Maldon)
Instructions
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Set aside and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, measure flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk until combined. Set aside.
- Add both sugars to the butter and mix by hand. If you prefer, you can use a mixer. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix to combine. Stir in the almond extract. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Add the chocolate chips, caramel bits and chopped pecans and mix thoroughly. If the batter is tough, use your hands to get everything combined.
- Scoop dough onto a lined baking sheet; I used a 1 1/4 ice cream scoop for my cookies. Chill the dough for 15 minutes.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Be cautious not to over-bake.
- Transfer to a wire rack and dust lightly with sea salt. Let the cookies cool completely. Once cooled, drizzle with additional caramel sauce and chopped pecans, if desired.
Notes
- If you prefer more chocolate, feel free to add more chocolate chips, or add chocolate drizzle in addition to, or instead of the caramel drizzle.
- To ensure accuracy in these cookies, I highly recommend measuring the flour and sugars by weight.
- I’ve tried it both ways and the texture is much better when the ingredients are measured by weight.
- If you are out of almond, or don’t care for the flavor, feel free to substitute vanilla.
- I liked the way the almond and pecans complimented each other in these.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Chocolate
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this recipe use both a whole egg and an extra egg yolk?
The author attributes the soft, chewy texture to this Cook’s Illustrated technique: 1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk. The extra yolk adds fat and richness without the additional structure that a whole egg white would introduce, contributing to the characteristic chewiness of the finished cookie.
Why does the recipe recommend measuring flour and sugars by weight?
The notes specifically call this out: the author tried both weight and volume and found the texture is much better when measuring by weight. The recipe provides ounce equivalents — 10 5?8 oz for flour, 7 oz for brown sugar, 3 1?2 oz for granulated sugar — precisely for this reason.
Can I substitute the almond extract with vanilla?
Yes — the notes say vanilla extract is a fine substitute if you’re out of almond or don’t care for the flavor. The author notes that almond pairs particularly well with the pecans in the cookie, but vanilla works equally well as the base flavoring.
Why does the dough need to be chilled for 15 minutes before baking?
After scooping, the dough is chilled for 15 minutes to firm the melted butter back up, so the cookies spread less in the oven and maintain their thickness and chew. This is especially important because the recipe uses melted rather than creamed butter.
I made these last night for my annual Xmas bake and they were sooo yummy! I doubled the recipe with no problems. Don’t bake too long or the caramel will get harder but still chewy. Very good cookie recipe!
These cookies look so yummy, and I would love to try making them. Just wondering, are the caramel bits found at the grocery store? Are they similar in shape to chocolate chips?
Thanks!
Hi Melissa, yes, the caramel chips are located in the same section where you find chocolate chips. If your store doesn’t have them, you can buy caramel candies and just cut them up into smaller pieces.