Chocolate Chip Turtle Cookies — 🍫🍪❤️ The BEST chocolate chip cookies stuffed with TURTLES candies! Soft, chewy, and buttery with caramel and chocolate! They’ll be your new FAVORITE chocolate chip cookies!
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Best Ever Chocolate Chip Turtle Cookies
I’ve always loved TURTLES® candies. They’re the perfect combination of nuts, caramel, and chocolate, and they just make people happy. Especially me.
I’ve previously baked TURTLES® candies into chocolate peanut butter cookies before. But I’ve never baked them into chocolate chip cookies, and I’m so glad I did! These turtle chocolate chip cookies are in my top 5 cookie recipes of all time. Yep, they’re that good.
I adapted one of my recipes for chocolate chip cookies but rather than using softened butter, I browned it.
That was an excellent decision because the nutty, rich flavor of the browned butter enhances the nutty flavor in the TURTLES® Minis Original Pecan flavor that I incorporated into the cookies. The Minis are about half the size of the classic candy, sold in bags, and I found them in the candy aisle of my regular grocery store.
The cookies are big, bakery-style cookies. They’re wonderfully chewy from the melted butter, soft from the cornstarch, and loaded with texture from the chocolate chips and crunchy yet chewy TURTLES® Minis.
There are so many layers of texture and flavor going on and I adored every bite. Browned butter, chocolate, caramel, vanilla. Yum!
Love chocolate chip cookies?
My easy soft chocolate chip cookies are studded with rich chocolate chips and offer the perfect texture thanks to a secret ingredient!
And my loaded oatmeal coconut chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate hearty cookie loaded with oats and chocolate with a soft, chewy texture!
Ingredients for Turtle Cookies
To make the chocolate chip turtle cookies, you’ll need the following:
- Chocolate chips – Use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Turtles minis
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make This Chocolate Chip Turtle Cookies Recipe
The chocolate turtle cookies are easy to make and come together quickly — but plan ahead because the dough has to chill for a couple of hours before it can be baked! Here’s an overview of how the cookies are made:
- Brown the butter (detailed instructions in the recipe card below).
- Whisk the slightly cooled browned butter, egg, vanilla, and both sugars in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients, stirring until smooth. Use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for easy mixing! Gently fold in the Turtles minis and the chocolate chips.
- Shape the cookie dough into balls, then cover it with plastic wrap, and chill the dough for 4 hours.
- Once the dough has had ample time to chill, arrange the chocolate cookie dough balls on parchment paper or silicone Silpat mat-lined baking sheets. The chocolate chips and TURTLES® Minis may want to slip out of the dough but smoosh them in as best as you can. I like to add a few more chocolate chips to the top of each cookie.
- Bake golden around the edges and barely set in the center. Don’t overbake the chocolate turtle cookies, because they taste better a bit underbaked!
Recipe FAQs
Of course! There are already pecans in the Turtles minis, but you’re welcome to add chopped pecans to the cookie dough, too. Simply replace some of the chocolate chips with the pecans so the dough doesn’t become too overloaded with mix-ins.
Yes! It’s mandatory that the dough be chilled for at least 4 hours, or overnight, before baking — no exceptions, or the cookies will bake flat, thin, and spread like crazy.
Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Yes! Freeze baked cookies for up to 6 months.
Absolutely! Unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months. So, consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
If baking straight from freezer with frozen dough, you don’t have to thaw it. Bake straight from the freezer, possibly adding 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time if necessary.
Feel free to include unsweetened cocoa powder in the cookie dough for an extra decadent taste. You can also replace some of the chocolate chips with caramel bits if you’re a caramel lover like me! Or, add a drizzle of caramel sauce just before serving.
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Chocolate Chip Turtle Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Medium Saucepan
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Large Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, browned
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- one 5-ounce bag TURTLES® Minis, halved
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping each cookie
Instructions
- Brown the butter (click for a detailed tutorial) by cooking butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan until it’s amber to brown in color, about 5 minutes depending on pan size. I swirl the pan in the last minute or so to make sure I can really see the color changes. Butter will go through stages of hissing, sputtering, and making noise until the water cooks off at which point the browning occurs. Butter will smell nutty and aromatic.
- Pour butter into a large mixing bowl, making sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan with a spatula and transfer any browned bits (they have wonderful flavor) from the bottom of pan into the mixing bowl. Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it.
- Add the egg, sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add flour, cornstarch (keeps cookies soft) baking soda, salt, and stir to combine. Dough may seem crumbly yet oily, this is okay.
- Add the TURTLES® Minis, chocolate chips, and stir to combine.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 11 to 12 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten about halfway. Tip – Strategically place a halved TURTLES® Minis on top of each mound of dough and add a few more chocolate chips for a visual pop of chocolate.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I use a half-sheet pan and bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 12 to 13.5 minutes (if your cookies are smaller than mine, reduce baking time) or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Turtle Desserts:
Homemade Chocolate Turtles — Fast, easy, no-bake and just 4 ingredients! Chewy, gooey, salty-and-sweet! Homemade always tastes better! Yum!!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Turtle Cookies — Soft and chewy cookies with a Turtle in the middle and drizzled with salted caramel!
The Best Turtle Brownies – Super fudgy and loaded with chocolate, pecans and caramel! So.crazy.good!
Turtle Poke Cake — The flavor of the famous candy in a decadent chocolate cake with tons of caramel and pecans! Easy, super soft and moist, and a crowd favorite!
Post is brought to you by TURTLES® Candies. The recipes, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #TURTLES
These cookie would be great for this christmas, so I have to mention it in my blog :) Thanks…
I love turtles toooooo!!! I usually stash mine on the top shelf of the pantry behind some other items ;) Definitely going to make these cookies soon ;)
I loved hearing where you stash your Turtles :) That’s a good place, away from Jorge and the pups! No one can get to them back there!
These are the BEST! Not only do I love your cookie recipe, but turtles on top??? My mom would go nuts for these.
You can’t go wrong with browned butter and Turtles!
Ok HOW have I not thought of this? Brown butter ccc’s are my favorite and I loooove turtle candies!
Browned butter + cookies = always a winner, right!
Also a big hit is your soft and chewy white chocolate cranberry cookies. I have those chilling as I type. I took a little dough and added dark chocolate and pecans for my husband. Then I do the rest like the recipe except I put a little orange zest in all of it. They are a winner with this family. Thanks for all your hard work.
I LOVE those cookies! They’re one of my all time faves, period. Of any cookie and that’s great you can portion off the dough and customize it for your husband.
These do look yummy. My husband loves chocolate and pecans or any nut really. The best cookies I have ever made with the thickness and texture I look for is your chocolate chip and chunk cookie. These were a big hit. I don’t like cookies that spread and get thin and crunchy.
Thanks for the compliments on those cookies and glad they were a big hit!
hey girl these look so divine!
I saw the link for your turtle recipe, but this post reminded of the WAY BACK post (in your phoenix days?) of your first homemade turtles. I still remember that! I think it was one of the first recipes of yours I tried!
I am not a huge turtle fan because of the nut thing, but these minis are too cute!
I remember that recipe, it was actually making scratch Turtles!
What a brilliant progression for both sweet treats. These look totally crave-worthy and more than a little gooey.
Thanks!
Turtles candies are my weakness! These cookies are calling my name! :D
They’re my weakness too!
These would have to be my new favorite CC cookie too! While I have no qualms whatsoever about regular sized turtles, the minis look perfect for baking and snacking. I always have a chocolate stash on hand.
The Minis are a perfect size for baking and snacking indeed!
I love the idea of using brown butter and turtles- this looks incredible!
Browned butter is so amazing and caramelly, so of course it would be perfect with Turtles cookies! I have fond memories of Turtles, because my dad would always bring my mom a box on Valentine’s. She would share a few with me, and I’ll always have happy memories of that. These cookies have to happen!
That’s a sweet memory your mom would always bring you a box on Valentine’s!
I meant dad bringing to your mom, typing too fast before coffee :)