Try our delicious caramel turtle cookie recipe and turn your leftover Halloween candy into a delightful treat.
We created this recipe to use up leftover candy, using our master cookie recipe. Instead of chocolate chips, we chopped up some leftover chocolate covered caramel turtles.
Updated:
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of contents
What is a Caramel Turtle
A caramel turtle is a candy made of caramel, chocolate, and pecans, shaped like a turtle. It is a sweet, nutty candy that is popular during the holiday season.
We created this recipe to use up leftover candy. In this case, we chopped up some leftover chocolate covered caramel turtles. Don’t ask how we could possibly have leftover caramel turtles – it’s a long story. The point is that this recipe is a good one for “add ins” – all those things you add into the batter after it is mixed together. Nuts, raisins and chocolate chips are the usual things to add, but after Halloween we use up some of the leftover Halloween candy. Candies made of chocolate, caramel, nuts and peanut butter work really well.
Ingredients
Using the best ingredients creates the best cookies. I name the brands I use in the recipe, so there is no guessing. There is a detailed explanation for why I use each brand on the “quality brands” page.
- All-Purpose Flour – King Arthur Organic All-Purpose flour King Arthur responsibly sources the wheat for their flours, and it pays off in the taste and quality. They have a “never bleached” guarantee, which means their flours don’t have an off taste or unpredictable results that can be caused by bleaching. They also carefully calibrate the protein content, so the flour gives you the same results everytime.
- Sugar – Wholesome regenerative organic sugar produced from organic sugar cane fields that are green cut and are not burned or treated with herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Burning sugar cane fields contributes to air pollution, climate change, and is also a major cause of the destruction of the rain forest.
- Nut Oil or Sunflower Oil – La Tourangelle Organic Pecan Oil or Regenerative Sunflower Oil is a great substitute for butter. The flavor works well in cookies, and the oil gives the cookies a fudgy center and crisp edges.
- Salt – Diamond Kosher tastes cleaner and measures differently.
- Sorghum Syrup – We make our own brown sugar substitute by adding Golden Barrel Sorghum Syrup. More convenient than brown sugar and not made from sugar cane. It creates a taste like brown sugar but more like caramel than the molasses in brown sugar.
- Vanilla – Baker’s Imitation Vanilla Flavoring The flavor or real vanilla and imitation is indistinguishable when high heat is used. Double the usual amount of vanilla called for to improve the flavor.
No Affiliates Statement
We call this our “no affiliates” statement because we accept no advertising, have no affiliates and accept no payment. We are not paid to mention brands – we just love buying the best, sharing that information and saving the planet at the same time. The effort put into writing and photographing the blog is solely based on our dedication to the cause.
Sustainability
This recipe focuses on sustainable ingredients—those grown and produced in ways that support soil health, efficient water use, and long-term agricultural resilience.
With a background in agriculture and hands-on experience in organic farming, research and regulatuion. I evaluate ingredients differently than most home cooks. In the ingredients section, I explain what makes each ingredient a better choice and how it contributes to both flavor and sustainability.
Method for making Cookies
This recipe uses an easy, foolproof method that requires only a few minutes of active time. Check out our Master Cookie Recipe for a more detailed explanation on how this works.
- Measure the dry ingredients by weight
- Measure the wet ingredients by weight
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together without overmixing.
- Chill the mixture
- Weigh out cookies
- Bake
This recipe uses our Master Cookie Recipe. An easy, foolproof, updated way of making cookies.
RECIPE
Equipment
- scale
- Silicone mat
CHOOSING BRANDS:
For certain products, the choice of brand will make a big difference in the outcome of the recipe and in your carbon footprint. So, for those products, we have listed the brand. We are not paid to mention a brand and have no affiliates.
Ingredients
- 290 grams King Arthur unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 100 grams caramel turtles roughly chopped into 3/4 inch pieces.
- 200 grams Valrhona milk chocolate pieces roughly chopped in half
- 165 grams La Tourangelle Pecan oil
- 80 grams Wholesome regenerative organic sugar
- 1 teaspoon Sorghum syrup
- 2 large eggs one whole egg and one egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons Baker’s imitation vanilla flavoring
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients on the counter an hour before starting and allow them to come to room temperature.
- Place a medium sized bowl on the scale. Measure in the flours, salt, and baking soda and stir.
- Add the chopped turtles and chocolate to the flour and stir to combine.
- Place a medium sized bowl on the scale and measure in the nut oil, sugar, and sorghum syrup, eggs and vanilla, zeroing the scale for each measurement. Stir, wait 5 minutes and stir again.
- Wait 5 minutes, then add the flour mixture to the batter and mix just until all the flour is incorporated. Do not overwork the batter.
- Cover with plastic wrap directly on the batter to make an airtight seal. Refrigerate the dough overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, using an oven thermometer to make sure of the temperature.
- Using a scale, scoop out cookies that are 2 ounces in size. Place them on parchment paper on the baking sheets, leaving a two inch space between each.
- Bake 1 tray at a time. Bake until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and centers are still soft, about 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack. If possible, allow them to cool before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
WHY THIS RECIPE IS A GAME CHANGER:
This recipe is a total game-changer — crafted with the finest [brand name] ingredients, simplified using a master recipe with pro-tested techniques from top chefs and bakers, and designed for deliciously sustainable cooking made easy.”
More Cookies that Start with our Master Cookie Recipe
These recipes use our Master Cookie Recipe. An easy, foolproof, and updated way of making cookies.
True to The Master Pantry philosophy, this recipe combines the best seasonal ingredients and quality brands with homemade methods to maximize both flavor and sustainability. It was inspired by our travels and works well as a holiday recipe.
Photos by Tony Fitzgerald Photography
Recipes created by Lisa LeCoump — Food Photographer, Agricultural Expert, and Home Baker. Sharing master recipes, chef secrets, and sustainable baking for every kitchen. Featured on various publications.