Gourmet Dark Chocolate Turtle Cookies Recipe

The perfect balance between salty caramel, dark chocolate, and pecans! This is melt-in-your-mouth bakery-style cookie truly sparks full interest at any party. These are just like a Turtle in cookie form and who wouldn't want that?

So what makes this cookie different from others? Well, it's a 5 oz. "Levain Style" cookie filled with gooey dark chocolate chips, salted caramel and pecans. Levain cookies are large, thick cookies that hold more flavor and richness.

These cookies are a bit more special due to the addition of cake flour, which adds a nice soft, chewy, and thick cookie. The flour also helps the cookie rise rather than flatten out.

These cookies require a longer "rest" period after baking in the oven to continue cooking.

I know what you are thinking. Continue cooking? Wouldn't that overbake them? The short answer is no, not at all! Due to how thick the cookies are, a longer bake time is required, but not all in the oven. After baking, the cookie will continue to cook on the inside so the center is not raw and the outside does not get overly crunchy.

Recipe Questions

How can I use store-bought caramel?

Absolutely!!! Don't feel like you have to make everything for this cookie from scratch, store-bought works just as fantastic and a time-saver too.

Does the type of cocoa powder matter?

Not really! If you use normal cocoa powder, the chocolate won't taste as rich, nor taste like "dark chocolate".

The centers seem soft and doughy, is that normal?

The centers of these thick cookies will be a lot more chewy and resemble "underdone" but I promise you they are baked through! This is due to how thick the cookies are, and why the additional rest time after they are out of the oven is important. If they are really gooey and if you give it a taste, and it tastes like cookie dough, flour, or egg, they have been underbaked.

My cookies are underdone, can I put them back in the oven?

If your cookies have been resting for more than only a couple of minutes out of the oven, do not put them back in! The ingredients are already starting to solidify, this means they are already starting to cool and the cookies will end up being unevenly baked if you put them back in.

Gourmet Dark Chocolate Turtle Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Servings: 11 cookies (5 oz. each)

Ingredients

Cookie

• 1 cup (226g) Unsalted cold butter (cubed)

• 1 cup (225g) brown sugar (light or dark will work)

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 cups (250g) cake flour

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 cup (200g) dark chocolate chips

Salted Caramel Filling

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)

• 1/2 cup (110 ml) heavy cream (room temperature)

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup water

Chocolate Topping

• 1 cup Dark chocolate chips

• Sea salt

Directions

For the Caramel

1. Heat your water and sugar in a medium-sized pot over medium heat.

2. Stir constantly until the sugar has completely melted down.

3. Add in your butter and continue to stir over medium hest until the butter has begun to change to a golden brown/copper color and the mixture has started a low boil.

4. Once it reaches this stage, stop stirring and remove from the heat. Then immediately add in your heavy cream carefully. You’ll notice the caramel sizzle up and bubble.

5. Add your vanilla and salt and stir to combine. Let set to cool completely before using, either on the countertop or refrigerator.

For the Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Make your pecan caramel mixture by adding about a 1/4 cup of chopped pecans to the caramel and set aside. You may adjust the amount of pecans here.

3. In a mixing bowl, cream together cold butter, sugar, and brown sugar until well combined and creamy in texture. This will take about 4 minutes.

4. Add your eggs, one at a time until incorporated and then add both your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt a cup at a time until just combined to avoid overmixing.

5. Fold in your chocolate chips with a spatula and then separate the dough into large balls, 5 oz. each.

6. Split each ball in half and with your fingers, create a crevice on both halves to place your caramel filling.

7. Spoon about a heaping spoonful of your filling into one half and place the hlabes back together. To seal the edges, slightly compact the two halves together as you roll it in your hands. (This takes some practice)

8. Place 5 cookies at a time, on a large prepared baking sheet or 3-4 on a small size about 2 inches apart.

9. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops are no longer shiny and let them rest on the baking sheet until cooled completely. Do not remove cookies from the baking sheet.

10. Let the cookies rest for 1-3 hours before serving. Due to the thickness of the cookies, this additional rest time after baking is important! If they are done, they should resemble a slightly chewy dough center and a nicely baked outside. I promise you they are done baking, and they are not underdone.

11. Once your cookies are cooled, melt down your chocolate chips in the microwave in 15 second intervals or over a double broiler in a bowl. When fully melted dip the tops of your cookies into the chocolate, twist and pull up then set on a rack.

12. Sprinkle sea salt on top and either serve right away or let the cookies set aside until the chocolate hardens.

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