Mama Carps Salted Caramel Turtle Cookies

IMG_4458I LOVE the classic combination of chocolate, caramel, sea salt & pecans!!! These cookies are a must! I packed these up with my turtle biscotti and a few chocolate turtles for my Valentines treat boxes this year …very delicious!!

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar- packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon good vanilla
  • 1 cup pecans- toasted and finely ground
  • 1 cup Kraft caramel bits
  • 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • 4 oz. chocolate almond bark or chips
  • large crystal sea salt

Combine flour and salt in a bowl- set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to incorporate. Add dry ingredients in batches mixing between each- stir in pecans. Cover and chill 1 hour or until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1” balls – flour hands if need to. Place on cookie sheet 1” apart and make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Bake 13-15 minutes or until the bottoms are light brown and set. Check halfway through to make sure that the thumbprints are still deep enough to fill- if not use a floured spoon to redefine.Remove cookies and let sit for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack over a piece of parchment paper. Melt caramels and the cream in a double boiler over low heat. stirring frequently. Fill the center of each cookie with about a 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel. While caramel is setting up; place your chocolate in a snack sized baggie, seal and place in a bowl- microwave on medium at 30 second intervals squishing between each interval until melted. Cut a small hole in the corner of the baggie and drizzle melted chocolate across each cookie. While chocolate is still wet, sprinkle sea salt on each cookie. Allow the cookies to firm up. These are a bit more work but completely decadent!