Cookie exchange box - and cookie tutorial

I am part of a really fun cookie exchange every year.  Since moving, I drive almost 3 hours to get there :)   We all make 12 dozen cookies (yep 144!)  and 12 packages.  We pack 12 cookies in each package, and then take home 12 different boxes of cookies. 

This is my package for this year - I wanted to keep it pretty simple.  I used the Paper Pumpkin kit from November for the tag, and a snowflake punch and the yummy All is Calm DSP.

 

And this was my cookie - the Ultimate Turtle cookie.  Complete with homemade caramel sauce!

They were a hit!  I have had LOTS of people ask me for the recipe.  So, I decided to do tutorial and post it here :)  I got my inspriation from Lauren's blog but changed it up a little.

Ingredients:(for the cookies)

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, separated
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Makes 20 small cookies

Combine flour, cocoa and salt.  In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolk, milk and vanilla.  Stir this into the  flour mixture, just until combined. Chill dough in the refrigerator for one hour.

Whisk egg white in a bowl until frothy.  Place chopped pecans in another bowl. Remove dough from fridge and roll into 20 small balls.

 

Roll each dough ball in the frothy egg white, and then roll in the chopped pecans, pressing them in as you go. Place on a greased baking sheet.  

 

Use the back of a small measuring spoon to make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.

Bake at 350 Degrees F for about 10-12 minutes, or until set. As the cookies are cooling,  gently re-press the indentations with a clean, small spoon.

 

 

Scoop small spoonfuls of caramel into the indented cookies.  I used homemade caramel sauce - well worth the extra work to make it!  You can find a tutorial for my caramel sauce here.

(I make the caramel a couple of days ahead of time, and store in the frige.  I scoop it out into the warm cookies, and it melts into them perfectly.)

 

Drizzle with melted chocolate, and let cool.  YUMMY!!