Looking for the ultimate cookie in terms of texture and flavor? These delicious, chewy Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies bring you nutty, chocolatey deliciousness with pools of ooey gooey caramel.
Also known as turtle cookies because of their muse, the classic turtle candy, these cookies have it all! Not only are they out-of-this world scrumptious, but these chocolatey cookies come together in 30 minutes and require just one bowl to make!
I love throwing in some add-ins to my chocolate chip cookies to easily elevate them, like in these Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies or these S’more Chocolate Chip Cookies, but the addition of caramel and pecans may just take the cake for my favorite version of this simple cookie!
But as a time-strapped mom who enjoys a dang good cookie, I think what I appreciate most about this recipe is that the cookie dough requires no chilling time before baking, meaning from craving to cooling, these cookies are ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes and with only one bowl required. That’s right— less clean up, too!
Pecan Caramel Cookies with Chocolate Chips Ingredients
Here’s everything you need:
- Unsalted butter. Unsalted allows you to control the amount of salt being added to your cookies. Make sure your butter is softened (not melted!) in order to get the perfect consistency in your dough.
- Light brown sugar. This cookie recipe uses only brown sugar to give it more of that caramelly flavor that you look for in a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe.
- Vanilla extract.
- Egg.
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt.
- Baking soda.
- Pecans. For a distinct nuttiness and crunch.
- Chewy Caramels. Make sure you get chewy caramels, not hard candy, caramel creams, or caramel sauce.
- Chocolate chips. You can use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. I used dark!
Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Tips and Tricks
Set Yourself Up for Success
Start by pre-heating your oven to 375°F and lining your cookie sheet.
I also like to measure and prep everything ahead of time so my baking process is seamless. Before starting my cookie dough, I always chop my pecans and slice my caramels.
For the pecans, keep some larger pieces and chop some into tiny fragments. This will ensure you get the nutty taste in every bite, but are left with some bigger crunchy nuts as well.
As for the caramel, you want smaller pieces. It melts in the oven which makes delicious pools of caramel on top but can also make for a messy cookie if the caramel bits on the inside are too large.
Cream the Butter and Sugar Together
It’s imperative that your butter is softened—not melted and not too cold and solid.
The easiest way to soften butter is to take it out of the refrigerator about 30-45 minutes before you start making your dough to allow the butter to naturally rise to room temperature.
Of course, if you forget or don’t want to wait, you can expedite the softening process.
One way to do so is by microwaving your stick of butter on high for about 15 seconds. If after that it is still too solid, continue to microwave in 5-second intervals until it’s softened.
The best way to tell if your butter is softened is by poking it! If it’s ready, your finger will leave an imprint.
There are other ways to soften the butter without the microwave. For 5 other simple ways you can easily soften your butter, check out this article on how to soften butter quickly.
The key to perfect cookies is creaming your butter and sugar together to start the dough. This is because creaming your sugar into your butter actually aerates the dough.
The sugar cuts into the butter, adding little bubbles that ultimately make for a softer and chewier cookie.
Use a hand mixer on high to whip the softened butter and brown sugar together for 2-3 minutes, until it’s nice and smooth.
Add the Wet Ingredients Next
With one-bowl baking recipes, the order in which you add your ingredients makes a difference to the consistency of your dough and overall success of your cookies.
After creaming your butter and sugar together, add the vanilla extract and egg.
As always, here’s your little reminder that best practice for baking is to crack your egg in a separate dish rather than adding it directly to your dough.
This will give you a chance to extract any egg shells that may fall into your dough and means you can salvage your dough in the off chance you have a bloody egg.
Of course, if you’re like me and like to live your life on the wild side, then you can take a chance and crack it directly in your bowl. Do so at your own risk. 😉
Once you add your egg, use your hand mixer on low, mixing just enough to integrate the egg. It’s best not to over-beat the dough.
Add Your Dry Ingredients to Your Cookie Dough Last
Next up: your dry ingredients! Add your flour, salt, and baking soda. Grab that hand mixer again to combine the dry ingredients into your dough, making sure no lumps or clumps are left behind.
If any dry ingredients stick to the inside of the bowl, use a rubber spatula to push it down into the dough, ensuring everything is integrated.
Fold in Your Pecans, Caramels, and Chocolate Chips
Once your dry ingredients are integrated, all that’s left to do is add your pecans, caramels and chocolate chips!
I like to conserve just a handful of each to place on top of the cookie dough once it’s already shaped. Especially the caramel. Placing a caramel on top will give you a delicious pool of caramel right in the center of your cookie.
Pour the rest of your fillings into the dough and use a rubber spatula to fold them in, until they are evenly distributed throughout.
How to Perfectly Bake Your Caramel Pecan Chocolate Cookies
These caramel pecan cookies are pretty much foolproof and will hold their shape even without any chilling time. You can expect some spreading, so keep that in mind as you line up your cookies on your prepped baking sheet.
There is one more important tactic to getting the best texture on these cookies: always bake them on the top rack!
Heat rises, so the top rack of your oven can be significantly hotter than the bottom. If you place one cookie sheet on the top rack and one on the bottom, there will definitely be a noticeable difference in their baking time.
If both sheets don’t fit on the top rack at once, I highly recommend baking the cookies in two separate rounds, so they can all bake on the top rack.
These cookies with caramel, pecans, and chocolate chips will bake beautifully in just 8-10 minutes at 375°F.
When the cookies are ready, the top and edges will start to turn golden brown and will be a little bit crispy to touch. It’s okay if the center is slightly underdone, as they will continue to bake as they cool.
If any caramel spills out over the edges, use the curved part of a spoon to push the ooey gooey caramel back into the side of the cookies while they are still hot.
How to Properly Store Turtle Cookies
At room temperature, these chocolatey cookies will last for 5-7 days when covered. In an airtight container in the refrigerator, they can last up to three weeks.
Quick tip: Storing your cookies with a piece of bread will keep them softer and chewier. This is the perfect use for the end piece!
These cookies do tend to get firm within the first couple days of storing them. If you want to keep them softer and chewier, store them in a container with a piece of bread. Believe it or not, moisture from the bread keeps the cookies from drying out.
You can also freeze them once they’re baked for up to a year. More on that later.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough for Freshly Baked Cookies Later
You can opt to freeze some or all of the dough for your turtle cookies for up to a year. That way, you can have freshly baked cookies whenever you want!
I like to shape the cookie dough into balls and store them in a freezer safe storage bag (consider reusable storage bags for a more sustainable option!).
Just watch them closely when you bake them and add an extra minute or two to your baking time if need be.
Why You Should Make these Pecan Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The flavor combo! If you’ve never tried a turtle candy, you are in for a treat! The combination of pecans, caramels, and chocolate chips simply can’t be beat!
- They’re quick. This dough requires no chilling time which means the cookies come together in less than 30 minutes from start to finidh!
- They are easy! Only one bowl required to whip these babies up!
Easy Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Cookie Scoop optional
Ingredients
- ½ cup softened unsalted butter (½ cup butter = 1 stick)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup pecans (½ cup pecans = approx. 2 ounces)
- ¼ cup chewy caramels (¼ cup caramel = approx. 2 ounces)
- ¼ cup chocolate chips (dark or semi-sweet)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a reusable baking mat. Chop the pecans and caramels into small chunks.
- To a large mixing bowl, add softened butter and brown sugar. Use a hand mixer on high to cream together until light and smooth (about 2-3 minutes).½ cup softened unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and use your hand mixer on low to combine.1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda and mix to combine, careful not to overbeat. Use a spatula to scrape any flour off the sides of the bowl and integrate it into your dough.1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Add the pecans, caramels, and chocolate chips to your dough and use a rubber spatula to fold to combine. I like to keep a small handful of each out to place on top of the cookie dough once it's formed into cookies.½ cup pecans, ¼ cup chocolate chips, ¼ cup chewy caramels
- Use a large cookie scoop or 2 heaping tablespoons of dough to form your cookies, adding them to the prepped baking sheets. Leave at least an inch of space in between each cookie for minor spreading.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes on the top rack. It's okay if they are slightly underdone. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet so they continue to bake as they cool. If any caramel spills out the sides, use the curved part of a spoon to push the melted caramel back into the edge of the cookies while they are still hot. Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Make sure to use plain chewy caramels instead of caramel sauce, caramel hard candies, or cream-filled caramels. If you’re having trouble finding them for baking, you can use individually wrapped chewy caramels (usually the Werther’s brand is widely available in the candy aisle).
- You can freeze excess cookie dough before baking it to give you fresh baked cookies every time when the craving hits! Just bake them as normal straight out of the freezer.
