Jewel Turtle Cookies Copycats
Big, chewy, soft cookies loaded with toasted pecans and caramel bits.
Servings 14 people
Cost 5
Ingredients
Caramel Bits
- ½ cup caramel bits (100 grams)
- 2 teaspoons melted butter plus a dash of vanilla if desired
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup pecan halves, toasted and chopped (114 grams)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- 1 teaspoon molasses (7 grams)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 medium or large egg oe use 45 grams pasteurized eggs like Bob Evans egg whites or Egg Beaters, room temp.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, low protein like White Lily works well. (125-130 grams)
- ⅓ cup Dutch process cocoa powder (35 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon of salt (omit if using salted butter)
Instructions
- Toss the caramel bits in melted butter. For an extra burst of flavor you can add a little vanilla to the melted butter. Spread the butter coated caramels on a parchment lined plate and freeze until butter is solid. Keep frozen until ready to use. You can do this right before you bake or far ahead of time.
- Toast the pecan halves by laying them on a baking sheet and baking at 350 for about 10 minutes or just until fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
- With mixer on low speed, mix together the softened butter, sugar, molasses and vanilla just until blended. Add the room temperature egg and mix just until blended, scraping the side of the bowl often.
- Carefully measure your flour by weighing it or spooning it into a cup and leveling. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until very well combined and there are no lumps.
- Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir or beat on lowest speed to make a soft dough. Add chopped, toasted pecans and the frozen caramel bits.
- Line a small tray or dinner plate with parchment and scoop out balls of dough that weigh 2 oz each. You should get about 13 or 14 cookies. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and freeze until solid or until ready to bake.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. If you have a toaster oven such as a Breville, use a sheet that fits in the toaster and preheat to the "cookies" setting or use convection.
- Set the frozen cookie dough balls on the baking tray and bake just until cracks start to appear on top and most of the sheet is gone -- about 10 minutes. You can experiment with the degree of underbaked-ness you like. If for some reason the cookies spread, push inward with a spatula and make a mental note to use a little more flour next time, a different brand or use more pecans. But the cookies should not spread too much.
- Pull from the oven when done and slide parchment onto the counter. While the cookies are still warm, transfer to the freezer and freeze.
- To serve, return to room temperature.