Brownie Turtle Cookies

BROWNIE TURTLE COOKIES

12/2/2020

These decadent Brownie Turtle Cookies taste even more wonderful than they look! Chewy, fudgy brownie cookies made fresh from scratch. These are good enough to eat alone – but truly decadent with soft caramel filling, pecans and a drizzle of dark chocolate ganache.

This crazy mama is making 24 different cookies, candies and treats for her holiday cookie trays - we're sharing with lots of neighbors and family friends this year! I have a super secret ulterior motive as well...I'm making Christmas Holiday Cookbooks for each of my kiddos and siblings. I have a notebook for each holiday, and keep my recipes and notes there for convenience the next year. As much as I love my iPad and Kindle Fire, there's just something about a paper recipe in front of me that I can scribble notes on if I need to.

Brownie Turtle Cookies are fabulous any time of the year, but especially nice on a tray of Christmas cookies!

Brownie Turtle Cookies

If you've ever made or tasted Swig Cookies, this is my delicious twist on those! A chewy brownie cookie is indented to hold all of the wonderful fillings - creamy caramel, pecan pieces, and a beautiful drizzle of dark chocolate on top. These are just so easy to make!

Truly decadent, and so delicious! I'm always amazed at how quickly these disappear when I make them!

Hope your holiday baking is going well, and you have a chance to relax and enjoy the days before Christmas!

Brownie Turtle Cookies

BROWNIE TURTLE COOKIES

Brownie Turtle Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
BROWNIE COOKIES:
1 & 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (sift, spoon & level to measure)
1 cup Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa (sift, spoon & level to measure)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1-1/4 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon Rodelle Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup chopped pecans

CARAMEL FILLING:
1 bag (11 oz.) Kraft Caramels
1/3 cup half & half (plus an additional tablespoon if needed)

CHOCOLATE GANACHE (Drizzle):
3.5 to 4 oz. dark chocolate bar, chopped fine (I use Ghirardelli dark)
1/3 cup heavy cream

HOW I MAKE THESE:

Prepare Brownie Cookies: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Add in the eggs one at a time, then blend in vanilla extract. Add half of the flour mixture at a time, and mix on low speed just until combined; add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.
Scoop dough out and shape into 1-inch balls. Space cookies 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 9-10 minutes - edges should be set (cookies will appear puffy and slightly under-baked).
Remove from oven and immediately press the bottom of a glass lightly into each cookie, creating a flat cavity with a ½-inch border around the edge of each cookie (similar to a “Swig” style cookie.). You will need to size your glass so that there is a ½-inch border of the cookie that remains. Cool cookies completely before proceeding to next step.
Prepare Caramel Filling: Unwrap caramels. Place caramels and half & half in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds, until caramels are melted; stir well to combine. If needed, add an additional tablespoon of half & half to reach a creamy consistency. Immediately spoon about 1 tablespoon of caramel sauce into the center of each brownie cookie; sprinkle with chopped pecans and cool for 1 hour.
Prepare Chocolate Drizzle: Heat half & half or heavy cream in a very small heavy saucepan. As soon as you see small bubbles around the entire edge of the pan, remove from heat and immediately pour over chopped chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes, then blend with a small whisk until combined, shiny and smooth. Carefully drizzle the chocolate ganache on top of each cookie.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

YIELD: 24 cookies

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