Turtle Cookies

These Turtle Cookies are the perfect blend of salty caramel and sweet chocolate. Then add in those honey roasted pecans, and you have an irresistible treat!

2/3 cup butter, softened 

2/3 cup shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla bean paste, or extract 

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1-tsp cornstarch 

1 tsp salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 

1-9oz bag of caramel flavored morsels

3/4 cup chopped honey roast pecans

1/2 cup Salted caramel finishing sugar, if desired. 

 I like to make these and scoop them out and refrigerate them overnight.  You don’t have to, I just think they taste better.  When ready to bake, Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, soda and salt and set aside. In the bowl of your mixer cream together the butter, shortening and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.  With mixer on low, add flour mixture a little at a time until fully combined.  Add chocolate chips, caramel morsels and pecans and mix with wooden spoon until throughly combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop out dough and place on cookie sheets 2 inches apart.  Roll just the tops of each dough ball on the caramel finishing sugar. Place more caramel morsels and chocolate chips on top of desired.  Place in preheated oven and bake 12-14 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the center is set.  When they come out of the oven, top with a pecan half. Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes and then move to cooling rack until cooled completely.  I like to melt 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of the caramel morsels to drizzle on the tops of the cookies after they are cool.  Keep in airtight container for about 5 days, if they last that long.  Enjoy!!! Makes about 2 dozen cookies.