Pumpkin Turtle Cookies

Your favorite chocolate candy dressed up into a pumpkin cookie for the holidays. Pumpkin Turtle Cookies are soft and gooey with a nutty pecan crunch. 

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Pumpkin Turtle Cookies

I love mornings.

Morning is my prime time for getting my to-do list done. I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m a morning person in the sense that I wake up smiley and ready to take on the world. But I do like to wake up early so that I feel like I have a head start on the day before the kids shining faces appear. And I am definitely not a night person. You’ll often find me ready for bed at 8pm.

We’re party animals, aren’t we?

So since the world likes to group people under labels, I guess I’ll be a morning person.

It never fails that I want to bake in the morning. Every morning.

Consistently.

Many times I have to say no to that desire since schooling the kids takes priority. Sometimes, though, I  have enough caffeine running through my veins that I feel like I can throw together a quick recipe in between teaching the kids.

That’s how these little pumpkin turtle cookies were made. I created them in under 30 minutes, from start to finish, running up and down the stairs to the school room in between, holding my breath that there wouldn’t be any major problems while I was out of the room.

These cookies had been dancing around in my head for several weeks. Pumpkin, caramel, chocolate and pecans…all in a bite-size cookie. Don’t your dreams look like this, too? If they don’t, they totally should.

I started with my classic pumpkin cookie recipe, used a mini cookie scoop to put little dollops of batter in a mini muffin tin. Bake the cookies for just 7-8 minutes. The cookie ball should be soft to the touch. While the cookies are baking, unwrap 36 Rolo chocolate candies.

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, turn the oven off. You’ll press one of those Rolos in each of the soft cookies, then return the pan to the oven for just 1 minute so the chocolate melts a bit.

The last step is pressing a pecan half into the melty chocolate. Let the cookies sit in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to allow the chocolate to set completely.

You’ll see some of the cookies sitting in little mini cupcake wrappers. I put the cookies in the wrappers after baking just for presentation. They fit perfectly inside and would make a great gift for a teacher or friend.

I think you’ll love these turtle cookies that are full of flavor. They’re a pumpkin, chocolate, caramel triple threat!

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Pumpkin Turtle Cookies

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

8 mins

Total Time

23 mins

 

Your favorite chocolate candy dressed up into a pumpkin cookie for the holidays. Pumpkin Turtle Cookies are soft and gooey with a nutty pecan crunch. 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 36

Calories: 142 kcal

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 11/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 36 Rolo chocolate candies unwrapped
• 36 pecan halves

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium size bowl, cream together the sugars and butter. Add the pumpkin and mix well. Add in all of the spices, then the flour. Mix well.
3. Use a mini cookie scoop to place a ball of cookie dough into mini muffin pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. You should get about 36 cookies.
4. Bake for 7-8 minutes. The cookie dough will be puffy and soft to the touch. Turn off the oven, remove the cookies and immediately press a Rolo in the center of each cookie.
5. Return the pan to the oven for just 1 minute.
6. Remove the pan once again and press a pecan half into the soft chocolate.
7. Allow the cookies to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts

Pumpkin Turtle Cookies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 142 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5g 8%

Saturated Fat 2g 10%

Cholesterol 7mg 2%

Sodium 66mg 3%

Potassium 46mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 22g 7%

Sugars 6g

Protein 2g 4%

Vitamin A 12.3%

Vitamin C 0.2%

Calcium 1.5%

Iron 5.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.