Awesome Christmas Cookies-Turtle Peanut Butter Cookies

Since everyone is looking for wonderful, awesome cookie recipe to make for the holidays or cookie swaps, I thought I would share this recipe with you. It takes a shortcut using baking mix (Bisquick), which cuts down on some ingredients and measuring to make life and cleanup a little easier. These cookies taste as good as they look, and who doesn’t love any kind of turtle, especially a turtle cookie with peanut butter, chocolate and toffee. Feel free to substitute chopped pecans or walnuts for the peanuts in this recipe. Also, you may use milk chocolate, dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate, whichever is your favorite. Enjoy and happy cookie making, sharing and giving.

 

Turtle Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 12 minutes

Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients

1/2  cup  unsalted butter, softened

1/2  cup  sugar

1/2  cup  firmly pack light brown sugar

2/3  cup  creamy butter

1  large egg

2  cups  all-purpose baking mix (such as Bisquick)

2/3  cup  almond toffee bits

2/3  cup  coarsely chopped peanuts

2/3  cup  milk chocolate or semisweet morsels (or dark chocolate)

10  ounce  vanilla caramels

2  to 3 tablespoons whipping cream

1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract

2/3  cup  milk chocolate or semisweet morsels (or dark chocolate), melted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg, beating until blended. Add baking mix, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in toffee bits, chopped peanuts, and 2/3 cup chocolate morsels.

2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets; flatten dough with hand.

3. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool cookies on baking sheets 1 minute; remove cookies to wire racks.

4. Microwave caramels and 2 tablespoons cream in a glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute; stir. Continue to microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring until caramels melt and mixture is smooth; add remaining cream, if necessary. Stir in vanilla. Spoon caramel mixture evenly onto tops of cookies; drizzle evenly with melted chocolate.

TIP: The chocolate drizzle on the cookies will harden as it cools.