Turtle Cookies

The sun is really starting to come out around these parts. Our garden out front is in full bloom, it's pretty crazy. When it finally gets hot enough to head to the beach, I really don't think I will ever come home. However, my family that lives out in the Kootenays and Montana have had up to four inches of snow right now! Enough of the weather, let's move on to the cookies. 

Earlier this year I went to Wenatchee, and when I was there we went to this amazing bakery called the Great Harvest Bread Company. The sweet rolls, oatmeal raisin cookies and turtle cookies were all great. Ever since that turtle cookie, I have wanted to make my own. And here is what I came out with. It is chewy but still has a nice solid edge.

Turtle Cookies

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup toasted, coarsely chopped pecans

3/4 cup caramel chip*

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the oats and then the rest of the add ins. Once fully combined, you can either wrap it up and put in the fridge or use it right away. I let it stay in the fridge overnight first. When ready to use the dough, heat the oven to 350º. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop 1 inch mounds, about two inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes or 15 for a crisp cookie. The caramel in the cookies will probably spread out a bit when they bake. Immediately scoop it off the parchment before it hardens, making it hard to remove the cookies from the sheet. Let the cookies rest for ten minutes on the pan the move them to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies. 

* For caramel chips, I bought the soft caramels wrapped in plastic and cut them into quarters.