Turtle Thumbprint Cookies

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12 Day of Christmas Cookies: Day 1

Here we go, jumping into the holiday season.

 I committed to doing 12 days of Christmas cookies and its already been tough.  I spent all weekend making cookies so I would be caught up during the week but yet I still feel behind.  Oh well, who needs sleep when you can be baking and blogging.

I also got a new camera this weekend, Nikon D3300 which I love so far.  It was a steal on black Friday at Costco so I couldn't resist.  No more Iphone photos on this blog!

On to the cookies, they are delicious and are perfect for any holiday party.  I have never made or even ever tried a turtle cookies but they turned out amazing.  These are definitely going on a rotation in my holiday baking.  I handed some around to neighbors and friends and they were a huge hit.  People were saying they were too pretty to eat, but I don't they that lasted long.  I made my cookies on the big side and the recipe only yielded 15, so be sure to scoop your dough small if you want more then that.

Happy Holidays!

Turtle Cookies - Adapted from Tastes Better From Scratch
Yield: 16-20 cookies

Ingredients:
1 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup (1 stick) Butter, unsalted and room temp
2/3 Cup Sugar
1 Large Egg, separated
2 Tablespoon Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Cup Pecans, finely chopped

For the Caramel:
2/3 Cup Kraft Caramel Bits (or regular caramels, melted)
1/2 Teaspoon Water

1/4 Cup Dark Chocolate for Drizzle

Directions:

1. Combine flour, cocoa and salt. 
2. In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolk, milk and vanilla. 
3.  Stir in flour mixture, just until combined. 
4. Chill dough in the refrigerator for one hour.
5. Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Place chopped pecans in another shallow bowl. 
6. Remove dough from fridge and roll into small balls (however many cookies you want–I made 20 small ones).
7. Roll each dough ball in the frothy egg whites, and then roll and press in the chopped pecans.
8. Use the back of a small measuring spoon to make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.
9. Bake at 350 Degrees F for about 10-12 minutes, or until set.
10. As the cookies come out of the oven, gently re-press the indentations with a small spoon.
11. In a microwavable bowl mix the caramel bits and water. Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until caramel is melted (1-2 minutes). Pour small spoonfuls of caramel into the indented cookies. 
12. Drizzle with melted chocolate.
13. Enjoy!

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