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Snappy Turtle Cookies

Snappy Turtle Cookies

Name: Snappy Turtle Cookies
Yield: 2 1/2 dozen
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt; ½ cup butter; ½ cup packed brown sugar; 1 egg, beaten; 1 egg, separated; ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract; ⅛ teaspoon maple flavored extract; 42 pecan halves; 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate; ¼ cup milk; 1 tablespoon butter; 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

Rating: 4.71 stars

14 Ratings
10 Reviews
8 Photos

An old recipe from my Mom's collection that I inherited when she passed away. They look like real turtles.

By Robin J.

Recipe Summary

Servings:

Yield:

2 1/2 dozen

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda and salt. Cream 1/2 cup butter and gradually add 1/2 cup brown sugar, creaming well. Add egg and egg yolk and beat well. Blend in vanilla and maple flavoring. Add the dry ingredients gradually, mixing thoroughly. Chill to slightly firm dough.

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Step 2

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Step 3

Arrange pecan halves in groups of five on greased baking sheets to resemble head and legs of a turtle. Shape dough into balls; dip bottom into unbeaten egg white and press lightly onto nuts. Use a rounded teaspoon of dough for each, so tips of nuts will show when cookies are baked. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool; frost tops generously with Chocolate Frosting.
Step 4

To Make Frosting: Combine 2 (1-ounce) squares of unsweetened chocolate ( or 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces), 1/4 cup milk and 1 Tablespoon butter in top of double boiler. Heat over boiling water until chocolate melts; blend until smooth. Remove from heat; add 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar. Beat until smooth and glossy. If too thin, add more confectioners' sugar until the desired consistency.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

283 calories; 4 g protein; 33.8 g carbohydrates; 54.3 mg cholesterol; 153.8 mg sodium. Full Nutrition

Reviews (10)

Most helpful positive review

Holiday Baker

12/10/2011

I made these for recipe group 12/04/2011. These were a cute little cookie. The full recipe yielded 21 cookies using a leveled cookie scoop. I found out from a lady on the recipe buzz that this cookie was actually a Pillsbury recipe contest winner from 1952 by the same name. The recipes really are exactly the same except the icing is a tad different. I did not have unsweetened chocolate so I used the icing from the original recipe calling for semi-sweet chocolate and adding 1/2 cup extra of powdered sugar to thicken it. It was a little sweet so I would stick with the icing recipe here. However the cookie has just a nice light sweetness like a shortbread which I liked. The same lady suggested covering the pecans well to avoid them from burning. After I scooped the cookie on I pressed down slightly to shape and then pushed the pecans in a little further. The cookies don't spread too much and it worked well. Make sure to save the egg white from the second egg. The Pillsbury recipe indicates the one egg should be separated in the ingredients list. I also used 105 pecan halves. The original recipe does state 1 full cup. The cookie looks just like the picture and refridgeration sets the chocolate icing nicely. Despite little recipe quirks that deviate from the original I enjoyed making these and were surprised how nicely they turned out. Kids would really love these! Read More

Helpful

(38)

14 Ratings

5 star values: 11
4 star values: 2
3 star values: 1
2 star values: 0
1 star values: 0

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

Holiday Baker

12/10/2011

Helpful

(38)

Holiday Baker

12/10/2011

Helpful

(38)

Roxanne

12/21/2009

THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING THIS RECIPE. It is the exact same recipe that I inherited(Original clipping from the newspaper from about 50 years ago!!!) from my grandmother. I somehow missplaced it and was horrified because it was the only copy I had. I only make them for christmas and send them to my family across the country! THANK YOU!!!!!!!! Read More

Helpful

(19)

Jill Good

10/31/2003

Wonderful cookies every bit as good as the bakery ones. This recipe is a keeper for Christmas. Read More

Helpful

(16)

COMIX

12/24/2007

wonderful cookies! Read More

Helpful

(14)

Samuel Grace

12/10/2010

So much fun to make! We made them for a Christmas cookie competition. We decorated the backs of them with white green and red frosting. We also gave them green gel eyes. It made them much more visually appealing. Lots of fun. Yummy cookie! Thanks! Read More

Helpful

(13)

gail

12/06/2010

thank you for posting this turtle cookie recipe. my mother used to make these for birthday parties and when we went to summer camp but the recipe was lost many years ago--about 50!!! I just found this and can't wait to make them. I never would have guessed they had maple flavor which is what gives them that unique flavor. thanks again. Read More

Helpful

(11)

Deb C

12/08/2011

These are tasty little critters. Great selection Recipe Group for 12/4/2011! Not only are they scrumptious but they are cute as can be. Kids will love them. Just a note: I used quite a bit more than 1 cup of confectioners sugar for the frosting. I also slightly molded the cookies to make sure the pecans were attached snugly. Now I just need a place to hide them. Read More

Helpful

(11)

ofashgrl

12/10/2011

also from my mom's fav recipes out of the mary margaret mcbride encyclopedia of cooking books. excellent cookie. Read More

Helpful

(9)

Diane

12/23/2011

I doubled the recipe the first time I made it: it was a bit time consuming. Let me tell you these were a hit! And they do taste great. The egg whites really hold the pecans on the bottom of the cookie! As this recipe is written I used 1/4 tsp maple syrup instead of the 1/8 tsp flavouring. Not sure if it added much but they did taste great. For the icing I did as this recipe indicated except used only 6 tblsp of milk. I didn't need to add more than 1 cup icing sugar it was a perfect consistency and had a really nice sweet dark chocolate taste. Read More

Helpful

(9)

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Nutritional Information

Snappy Turtle Cookies

Servings Per Recipe: 12
Calories: 283

% Daily Value *

protein: 8 %

carbohydrates: 11 %

exchange other carbs:

dietary fiber: 7 %

sugars:

fat: 25 %

saturated fat: 38 %

cholesterol: 18 %

vitamin a iu: 6 %

niacin equivalents: 14 %

vitamin b6: 2 %

vitamin c:

folate: 9 %

calcium: 3 %

iron: 11 %

magnesium: 10 %

potassium: 3 %

sodium: 6 %

thiamin: 17 %

calories from fat:

percent of calories from carbs:

percent of calories from fat:

percent of calories from protein:

percent of calories from sat fat:

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.