Turtle Cookie Cups

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Easy Turtle Cooke Cups have a cookie cup filled with chocolate, chopped pecans and drizzled with caramel.

Prep Time15

Cook Time14

Cooling Time10

Total Time39

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 217kcal

Author: Julie Evink

Ingredients

Cookie Cups

1 cup unsalted butter softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

Filling

1 cup milk chocolate chips or Ghirardelli milk chocolate melting wafers
¾ cup caramel bits
1 Tablespoon heavy cream see notes
¾ cup chopped pecans
Flaky sea salt optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a regular-sized muffin pan with baking spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, granulated sugar, powered sugar, and vanilla extract together for approximately 1- 2 minutes.
Add in the all-purpose flour and mix just until combined. The mixture may still be a little crumbly. Do not over mix or the dough may become tough. You can further mix with a spatula or your hands if necessary.
Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, add about 2 Tablespoons of dough to each muffin tin well. Press into the bottom and about halfway up the sides. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned.
Immediately after baking, LIGHTLY and SLOWLY press the centers of the cookies down. A tart shaper, the bottom of a spice jar, or a shot glass can be used to do this. This creates a small indentation for the chocolate filling.
Let the cookies cool for about 5-10 minutes in the tin, and then carefully remove them by using a butter knife to help lift them out of the wells. Transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips or melting wafers for 30 seconds, then stir. Return to the microwave for 20 seconds, then stir. If the chocolate isn’t smooth, continue heating for 10-15 second intervals until completely melted.
Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of melted chocolate into each cookie cup and top with about 1 Tablespoon of the chopped pecans. Press down lightly on the nuts so they stick to the chocolate.
Add caramel bits and heavy cream to microwave-safe bowl. Heat them using the same melting method as the chocolate chips from above. Once completely melted drizzle the caramel over the pecans.

Notes

Storage Tips For Turtle Cookie Cups
Store your turtle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days. To make them last a bit longer and ensure the filling stays well set, store them in the refrigerator.

FREEZER: Chocolate turtle cookies will store well in the freezer for about 3 months. Place wax paper or parchment paper between the layers of cookies and store in an airtight container or freezer bag.

You can use a store bought caramel drizzle instead of making your own, just make sure that you warm it before using.
Add some flaky sea salt on the top of your turtle cookies to give your cookies an element of salty n’ sweet.
To enjoy leftover turtles later on, pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds to make them warm and gooey.
When removing your cookies from the muffin tin, make sure you don’t remove them too early or they’ll fall apart and you won’t be able to add filling to them.

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