Chocolate turtle cookies

I don't eat much in the way of sweets, but I do have a soft spot for all things caramel. One of my favorite candies are those turtle chocolates - you know, those little bundles of chocolate all wrapped up in caramel and pecans?

Obviously, I had to make a cookie version of these candies. These base dough of these cookies is super rich and chocolate-y (almost fudge-like), and then I roll them in pecans and more chocolate before baking. To top it all off, I make a caramel sauce from scratch to drizzle on top. 

These cookies were super good, but they were also super easy to make! If you're looking for an impressive recipe that requires little effort, this cookie is the one for you. Happy baking!

Chocolate turtle cookies (makes about two dozen)
Adapted from The Kitchen is My Playground

Cookies: 

• 125 g (1 cup) of flour
• 29 g (⅓ cup) cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temp
• 133 g (⅔ cup) white sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 1 cup chocolate chips, finely chopped

Caramel sauce:

• 100 g (1 cup) white sugar
• 3 Tbsp of unsalted butter
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ½ tsp salt

1. Sift flour, cocoa, and salt together and set aside.
2. Cream butter in stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar and continue mixing until combined. 
3. Add in yolk, cream, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. 
4. Chill dough in fridge until firm (at least an hour).
5. Preheat oven to 350F.
6. Mix pecans and chocolate together. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll in pecan-chocolate mixture until coated. 
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies have set. 
8. Make the caramel sauce: melt sugar in saucepan on medium heat. Stir constantly. Sugar will begin to clump up and eventually melt into a brown liquid as you stir. Don't let it burn!
9. Add the butter and continue mixing until all is combined. 
10. Slowly add the cream and let the mixture boil for one minute 
11. Remove from heat and add the salt. Let cool before using.
12. Drizzle caramel on cookies and enjoy!