Sourdough Turtle Cookies

Recipe Ingredients

These Sourdough Discard Turtle cookies are easy to make and require no special ingredients or techniques.

Bread Flour: Bread Flour has a higher protein content, resulting in a chewier cookie. For accuracy, the best way to measure the flour is by using a digital kitchen scale.

Tip: If you don't have a digital scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with the back of a butter knife. Try not to compress the flour into the measuring cup. Too much flour creates dense cookies.

Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which packs more densely than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.

Butter: Room temperature butter is easier to cream together with the sugar. I use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon. There is about ¼ teaspoon of salt per stick of salted butter.

Brown and White Sugar: This recipe uses both types of sugar. The brown sugar adds moisture while the white sugar helps the cookie dough spread while it is baking.

Sourdough Discard: Don't worry your cookies won't be sour. There is plenty of sugar to eliminate the sourdough flavor. Bring your sourdough discard to room temperature before adding it to the recipe. It will be easier to incorporate. Active starter or sourdough discard can be used.

Pro Sourdough Tip: Keep a glass jar in your refrigerator to store your sourdough discard. Continue adding to it until you have enough to make your chosen sourdough discard recipe.

Flaky Sea Salt: Flaky sea salt provides a nice contrast to these sweet chocolate chip cookies. Maldon sea salt is one of the best. For more desserts with flaky sea salt try this Honeycomb Candy.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Sourdough Discard: You can use either sourdough discard or active sourdough starter.

Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: You could use regular chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate, but I found mini chocolate chips easier to use when wrapping dough around pieces of caramel.

Pecans: Feel free to switch up the nuts if you don’t have pecans. Walnuts would also taste great.

Try one of these other delicious pecan-filled baked goods: Apple Cinnamon Pecan Scones or Brown Butter Pecan Scones.

Caramels: My favorite caramels for stuffing into cookies are Werther’s Original Soft Caramels. They have just the right texture and melt beautifully. You could also use other brands of soft caramels, Rollo candies, or any other caramel-filled candy bar like Snickers or Milky Way. I recommend cutting each caramel in half to prevent molten caramel from erupting while the cookies bake.

Step by Step Directions

Step 1: Slice the butter into pieces and melt it in a light-colored skillet over medium heat stirring or whisking constantly. (Image 1) Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. (Image 2)

Continue stirring/whisking for about 5-7 minutes, the foam will begin to subside and the melted butter will darken to a deep amber color. (Images 3 & 4) Remove the browned butter from the heat, and pour it into a bowl. Allow the butter to cool for 30 minutes.

If you still have questions about how to brown butter, check out this video on how to brown butter from America's Test Kitchen.

Step 2: In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated white sugar with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth. (Image 5)

Step 3: Lower the mixer speed to stir and add the sourdough discard, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. (Image 6)

Step 4: Add bread flour, kosher salt, and baking soda and mix until combined. (Image 7)

Step 5: Fold in the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and ½ chopped pecans with a rubber spatula. (Image 8) Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

Step 7: While the dough is chilling, unwrap the caramels and cut each in half.

Step 8: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Tip: Use a light-colored cookie sheet. Dark cookie sheets absorb too much heat and can cause your cookies to overbake. Check out this post from Handle the Heat to see a comparison of cookies baked on different types of cookie sheets.

Step 9: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide the dough into 32 equal-sized pieces and roll them into balls.

Tip: To quickly portion out the dough use a knife to cut the chilled dough into smaller pieces.

Break each dough ball in half and sandwich a piece of caramel between the two haves. Smooth the two halves together by rolling the dough between your hands to make a smooth ball. Make sure the caramels are completely sealed inside. (Image 9)

Step 10: Place the balls on the baking sheet leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie. Flatten the balls slightly with your hand to help them spread and sprinkle each one with sea salt. (Image 10)

Make-Ahead, Storing, and Freezing Instructions

Make-Ahead: You can mix up the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Chilling cookie dough keeps it from spreading too much as it bakes by hydrating the flour and solidifying the butter.

Storing: Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three weeks.

Freezing Cookie Dough: Unbaked cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. I always have a batch of Nutella Brownie Cookies dough in my freezer for when a cookie craving strikes.

Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place in a zip-top bag. Label with the date and contents.

When you are ready to bake cookies, remove the cookie balls from the freezer, let them sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, and then bake. You may need to add a minute or two to the baking time.

Freezing Baked Cookies: Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Once the cookies have cooled completely, place them on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen cookies to an airtight container or zip-top bag. Label with the date and contents.

Thaw frozen cookies overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter.