These rich and chewy chocolate turtle thumbprint cookies are bursting with chocolate and caramel flavor. The pecans add a nice holiday crunch and the melted chocolate drizzle makes them look even prettier on the cookie tray!
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
Beat in one egg plus one egg yolk (reserve the whites) and vanilla until well mixed.
Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat just until well mixed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Roll into balls between your hands.
Whisk the reserved egg white in a small bowl until very frothy/foamy.
Coat the dough ball in frothy egg whites and then roll in the chopped pecans.
Place each ball on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
Using the back of a teaspoon, press about half way down into each cookie to create an indent for the caramel.
Bake for 11-13 minutes or until bottom edges look slightly browned.
Remove cookies from the oven. If the centers have puffed while baking, use your teaspoon to gently re-press the indentation.
Heat the caramels and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds at a time in the microwave. Stir until smooth.
Spoon melted caramel in the center of each baked cookie’s indentation. Allow to cool completely.
Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, heating for 30 seconds at a time and stirring between, until melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the cooled cookies.
Notes
STORAGE:
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.NOTES:The egg whites help the pecans to stick to the dough ball and stay in place while baking (tip from https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/turtle-thumbprint-cookies/)These are a thumbprint cookie - using just a small amount of baking powder helps the cookies to retain their compact thumbprint shape.You can also use homemade caramel in these cookies - you want a caramel that is thick enough to set, but not hard, which would make it difficult to bite into.