{"id":339952,"date":"2025-12-12T03:44:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T03:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/recipes\/category-a-b\/baking-category-a-b\/turtle-cookies-butternut-bakery\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T03:44:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T03:44:29","slug":"turtle-cookies-butternut-bakery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=339952","title":{"rendered":"Turtle Cookies – Butternut Bakery"},"content":{"rendered":"


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These festive turtle cookies are the perfect Christmas treat! Inspired by turtle candies, buttery shortbread is baked with pecan halves and topped with a simple caramel and dollop of chocolate. It\u2019s like millionaire shortbread meets turtle chocolates. But above all, they\u2019re just so cute!<\/p>\n

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Turtle Shortbread Tips<\/h2>\n

These cookies taste as good as they look! They\u2019re made with a buttery shortbread dough that\u2019s sliced thick, creating a tender and melt-in-your-mouth bake. To ensure yours turn out moist and NOT dry, follow these tips:<\/p>\n

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  1. Butter<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Make sure your butter is room temperature, NOT soft. When pressed, room temperature butter will leave an imprint of your finger but still have some resistance to it. With soft butter, your finger will sink in with minimal effort. Using room temperature will prevent the dough from turning too sticky, thus difficult to handle.<\/li>\n
  2. Flour<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 I say this all the time, but use a scale if you can. Otherwise, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a flat edge. Never scoop directly into the container or bag of flour as this will pack it down into the cup.<\/li>\n
  3. Cornstarch<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Don\u2019t skip this ingredient! Not only does it help thicken the dough, but it creates a soft texture once the cookies are baked.<\/li>\n
  4. Egg Yolks<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Use cold egg yolks to help cool the dough! If the dough is too warm, it\u2019s difficult to shape.<\/li>\n
  5. Mixing<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Use a mixer to work in the flour as much as possible, but careful not to OVER mix. By removing the bowl from the mixer and finishing the mix by hand, this will allow you to create a homogenous dough without overworking.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    How to Bake Turtle Cookies<\/h2>\n

    Once the dough has chilled for at least 2 hours, these cookies are ready to bake! Slice each log into 12 cookies, about 1\/4\u2033 thick.<\/p>\n

    Place the cookies on the baking sheet, spacing each about an inch apart. Now, select 5 pecan halves per cookie. Try to grab pecans of similar size and that aren\u2019t broken. Carefully press them down into the cookie in a star shape. Press just enough for them to stick, but do not press too hard to where the dough warms and moves. <\/p>\n

    Once all the pecans are stuck on, these cookies are ready to bake. When they\u2019re done, they\u2019ll look puffed with very spaced out pecans but don\u2019t worry! The pecans will shrink back in towards each other once the cookies have cooled.<\/p>\n

    Carefully transfer the warm cookies to a cooling rack. I use the word \u201ccarefully\u201d because the pecans will be a little loose on top when the cookies are still warm. However, the pecans will stick down once the cookies have cooled. This is because they\u2019re very buttery when warm so once that butter sets, the pecans stick like glue. <\/p>\n

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    Turtle Caramel \u2013 so easy to make!<\/h2>\n

    This caramel is SO simple, even if you\u2019re intimidated by candy making. We\u2019re esssentially just making a batch of homemade caramels but instead of pouring and slicing them, we\u2019re dolloping it on top of each cookie.<\/p>\n

    First, melt down the butter. Then vigorously whisk in the rest of the ingredients to ensure the caramel is nice and smooth. The corn syrup will help prevent crystallization, so it\u2019s essentially a fool proof recipe!<\/p>\n

    Now the important part \u2013 keep whisking until the mixture reaches 235F or the soft ball stage. This is the temperature in which the caramel will hold its shape while still remaining nice and soft. Use a candy thermometer<\/a> or whatever food thermometer you have on hand.<\/p>\n

    Once it reaches that temperature, immediately remove from heat and mix in the vanilla. The caramel will appear very thin and at this temperature, it\u2019s too warm to hold its shape on these cookies. So set a timer for 10 minutes to allow it to cool and thicken.<\/p>\n

    When it\u2019s ready, the caramel will be soft and scoop-able but not thin and runny. Using two spoons, scrape about 1 tablespoon worth of caramel onto the center of each cookie. It will slowly melt into the cookie without dripping down the sides. Once completely cooled, it will hold a nice soft shape!<\/p>\n

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    Turtle Cookies FAQs:<\/h2>\n
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    How long can I chill the shortbread dough?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

    The dough needs at least two hours, but it can chill for up to 2 days. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    Why is my caramel so runny?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

    It likely didn\u2019t reach the right temperature! Or it\u2019s too warm. If you know it reached 235F, then it should set. So this likely means the caramel is still too warm and needs to cool for a few more minutes before trying again.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    Can I make turtle cookies with cashews intead?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

    Sure! Just stick on some cashews instead of pecans before baking.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    Can I leave out the nuts completely?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

    Absolutely. That would bascially just make a Twix or millionaire\u2019s shortbread cookie which is also delicious!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    Can I make these turtle cookies gluten free?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

    I haven\u2019t tested it, but you can try swapping the all-purpose flour with a cup for cup gluten-free baking flour.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    How do you store turtle cookies?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

    Once the chocolate on top has set, store the cookies in a container in the refrigerator. They\u2019ll keep for about 5 days.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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    For more Christmas cookie recipes, check out my:<\/h2>\n

    Watch how to make these turtle cookies!<\/a><\/p>\n


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    \n    Print<\/a><\/p>\n

    \nclock<\/default:title> clock icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol>cutlery<\/default:title> cutlery icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol>flag<\/default:title> flag icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol>folder<\/default:title> folder icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol>instagram<\/default:title> instagram icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol>pinterest<\/default:title> pinterest icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol>facebook<\/default:title> facebook icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol>print<\/default:title> print icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol>squares<\/default:title> squares icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol>heart<\/default:title> heart icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol>heart solid<\/default:title> heart solid icon<\/default:desc><\/default:symbol><\/default:defs><\/default:svg><\/p>\n
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    Description<\/h3>\n
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    These turtle cookies are just like the candy version, but made on top of a buttery slice of shortbread! Slice and bake cookie dough is topped with pecan halves before baking. Then, each cookie is topped with a dollop of homemade soft caramel and a swirl of melted chocolate. Finish with flaky sea salt for a perfectly balanced cookie!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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    Shortbread Cookies<\/span><\/h4>\n