Cookies with Caramel Flavor

[ChocoChris]

HI,

My goal is to make cookies that look like and have the flavors of turtle candies. Basically they will consist of a cookie that has been baked on top of 5 pecans (4 feet/head) and then glazed with chocolate. I am aware that there are recipes for turtle bars but I want them to resemble the candy.

The recipes that I have seen for turtle cookies suggest chopping up store bought caramels and mixing into the dough. Seems to me that they might get too hard or chewy upon cooling. I was thinking of a sandwich cookie with a caramel filling or a brown sugar or caramel flavored cookie. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Chris

[bluechefk]

this is off the top of my head, so i don't have any particular recipes to suggest - but how about some kind of thumbprint cookie on top? - you could fill the 'hole' with the caramel of your choice. and you could incorporate brown sugar & toasted pecans into the cookie batter, to further those flavors.

let us know what you end up with - sounds like a fun idea

[K8memphis]

Hmm, what an interesting idea. Me, I would start with the caramel holding the pecans in place then place one of those lacey oatmeal cookies on top. Then I'd experiment with chocolate under that or over that to see which way I like best.

If you did chocolate on top of the cookie you could pipe it like the plates of the turtles back & let the cookie show through. But you could do a sandwich cookie too, top & bottom--just so the pecans show up.

I don't know how that would work out but that's where I would start.

Or how about those umm, pizelles??? They are kinda interesting for a project like that.

Depending on the cookie recipe you could stick the pecans in right when you take them out of the oven too. Maybe use half the pecan half. Like for a sugar cookie or shortbread type recipe.

Or drop in a bunch of toffee chips into cookie batter.

Just some brainstorm type ideas to throw into the turtle cookie pot.

[ChocoChris]

Wow, good ideas here. I like the thumbprint idea. So far I've ruled out a cookie recipe from Chocolate Chocolate because, while yummy, I think the addition of carmel might make them way too sweet.

I do have a recipe for brown sugar pecan shortbread from The Good Cookie. Do you think I could form that dough into thumbprint cookies and go from there?

K8memphis: what types of lacey oatmeal cookies do you mean? Are they the very thin ones? I like the "chocolate plate" idea.

These ideas sure are helping!

Chris

[skyflyer3]

I have a toffee bar recipe that's just brown sugar, butter, flour, bp, soda, choco chips and pecans. You bake the first 5 ingredients as a shortbread base, then melt the chocolate over it and sprinkle with pecans. The cookie base may be what you're looking for - it has like 2 sticks of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar, or something like that. I'll see if I can dig it up.

If you do end up using it, make sure you use salted butter, or even add a little more salt to it to balance the sweetness. These were very rich.

[bluechefk]

i dug up a recipe for hazelnut butter cookies that i used to make - as i remember, they're rich & delicious i'm thinking that you could easily substitute toasted pecans for the hazelnuts in the recipe. also, since these are a piped cookie, you should be able to get exactly the shape you want for topping those pecan 'feet'. the centers are usually filled with melted chocolate, but i don't see why you couldn't change that to caramel. sorry - can't remember what the yield is on this.

Hazelnut Butter Cookies

cream together until light & fluffy:

12 oz. unsalted butter

3 1/4 oz. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

stir in:

3 1/2 oz. toasted hazelnuts, finely ground

stir in just until combined:

12 oz. AP flour

immediately transfer dough to pastry bag, fitted with large open star tip. pipe into rosettes about 1 1/2" in diameter. make in deep indentation in the center of cookies with your thumb, or the floured end of a wooden dowel. bake at 325 until firm to the touch & lightly browned. cool completely. fill centers of cookies with warm melted chocolate & allow to set completely.

[Katie Nell]

We did something similar to this one year for Christmas... it was a Martha recipe. I tried to find the recipe, but no luck. I think basically we took a sugar cookie dough and pressed four pecans splayed out into a walnut size ball of dough. Then we baked them, and put a large dot of melted caramels (I don't think they got too hard) and then put a smaller dot of melted chocolate chips on top. It's a bit foggy though!

On a side note, while I was looking for the recipe, I ran across this one that sounds interesting! http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?ty...MSL&site=living

[ChocoChris]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for your very helpful suggestions. I wound up using a shortbread thumbprint cookie much like the one bluechefk posted but without the hazelnuts. I then filled the center with soft caramel and topped with a ganache. They went very quickly and I was happy with the result - atho I only got to eat one. I'd like to make them again but I might roll them in chopped pecans since I wouldn't need the pecan "feet" for the turtle look.

Anyhow, I thought you might like to see some pictures.

Single turtle cookie.

and here's one of the turtles returning to the sea.

Thanks again!

Chris

Edited November 16, 2005 by ChocoChris (log)

[cathrynapple]

those are just adorable.

[K8memphis]

and here's one of the turtles returning to the sea.   

←

They are adorable!!

And sorry, I did not see you asked about the lacey cookies. Yes though I meant the real real thin ones that you dropmeasuring teaspoons of real thin batter & they spread out completely & you can see through 'em when they bake. But I love your turtle cookies!!! Especially the one returning to the sea!!!!

[Ling]

Great pics! They are too cute! Maybe I'll try to make some for my little cousins come Christmas time.