So I broke my tradition of having at least one post per month. I was away for half of November, which makes trying new recipes a bit challenging (since you're trying to use up all the stuff you have in the fridge so it doesn't spoil while you're away. Which I probably should have done more diligently, since I now have a heck of a task in cleaning out the fridge. Bleh).
But I'm hoping to make up for it a little this week, as I have several recipes on the list that I want to try. Probably won't get to all of them, but if I get 2-3, I'll consider it a success.
Also, I have no idea how I managed it, but I forgot to take a picture of these cookies. I could have sworn I took like 10, but evidently I didn't. So in the interest of getting this blog out, I'm skipping the picture for now. It's flagged for me to remember to take a picture next time.
Turtle Cookies
Originally found at The Kitchen Is My Playground
8 Tbsp butter (1 stick), softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, separated
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp water
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
14 soft caramel candies (the kind you'd use to make caramel apples)
1 tsp milk
With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg yolk, 2 Tbsp milk, and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add to sugar mixture slowly until just combined. Cover and chill 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk egg white with 1 tsp water, until frothy. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then dip in egg white mixture, then roll into pecans. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Just before baking, press an indentation into the center of the cookie. Bake until set, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool 1 minute on sheet, then remove to wire rack.
Place caramels and 1 tsp milk into a microwave safe container, then microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until caramels completely melted, heating more if necessary. Consistency should be thick, but pourable. If needed, additional milk can be added. Spoon a small amount of caramel into indentations in the cookies. Cool completely, then store in airtight container.
My Notes:
Despite what the author of the blog above states, I really don't think these were the most amazing turtle cookies ever. They were a bit dry, and the original recipe for the caramel was way too thin, so I had to adapt that a bit. But they're not bad. A bit time consuming, but not bad. My roommate loved them, especially drenched in the too-thin caramel sauce, so I've decided that I'm just on the picky side. Which is fine, these are probably something I'll make again, I just might try to figure out some way to make them a little more moist.
