These Turtle Cookies are a healthy twist on the holiday classic made with a gluten-free shortbread cookie base with crunchy pecan, dairy-free caramel with a chocolate drizzle. Soft, chewy and a delicious addition to your holiday cookie tray! Gluten-free, paleo, vegan with low carb and keto sweetener options.
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Updated December 2020
A Healthy Turtle Cookie Recipe
It’s December and that means it’s officially cookie baking season. These Turtle Cookies are one of our favorite cookies we make every year. They start off with our grain-free keto shortbread cookies and get filled with a dairy-free caramel center topped with pecans and a chocolate drizzle
These Chocolate Turtle Cookies are a delicious cookie addition to your Christmas baking list and perfect for cookie exchanges, holiday gifts or your cookie platter!
Why we love this easy cookie recipe
- the cookie dough is super easy to make with just 4 main ingredients and no mixer required
- gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, dairy-free, paleo with low carb and keto options
- soft, chewy and ridiculously addicting
Ingredients you need
Classic turtle cookies are made with all purpose flour, butter, eggs, baking powder, heavy cream and granulated sugar. These buttery keto turtle cookies are sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free and made with:
For the turtle cookie dough:
- Superfine blanched almond flour (I have not tested this with coconut flour but if you are allergic to nuts, you can sub with finely milled sunflower flour)
- Organic refined coconut oil for a vegan cookie (not melted – you want the consistency to be similar to softened butter) – you can also sub with vegan butter OR ghee if not dairy-free
- Pure maple syrup – our favorite unrefined liquid sweetener. To make these cookies keto, simply swap with a sugar-free maple syrup OR yacon syrup
- Pure vanilla extract
- Pecan halves
For the caramel center:
- Pecan butter – we love using pecan butter for the best caramel filling but you can also sub with sunbutter OR your favorite nut butter
- Pure maple syrup or favorite liquid sweetener
For the chocolate drizzle:
- Dairy-free chocolate chips – we like Hu’s Kitchen Gems or Lily’s Sweets
How to make Turtle Cookies:
- MAKE THE DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, ghee, sweetener, vanilla and optional almond extract. Mix well with a fork until dough is combined.
- CHILL DOUGH: Cover bowl and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- FORM INTO DOUGH BALLS: Remove dough from fridge. Form the dough into 1.5 inch balls and roll into brown sugar substitute or coconut sugar. Make an indentation using your thumb or a 1/4 teaspoon in the center of each dough.
- Place each dough ball on parchment lined cookie sheet about 1.5 inches apart. Place baking sheet in the freezer while you preheat the oven.
- PREHEAT oven to 360F and BAKE for 10-11 minutes, until just set. Be careful not to over-bake as the cookies will continue to bake after you remove them from the oven.
- Remove from oven and indent into the center of each cookie again, if necessary.
- FILL COOKIES: Allow to cool completely before transferring – otherwise the cookie will fall apart. Transfer to wire rack or cookie tray.
- MAKE THE CARAMEL FILLING: Combine pecan butter with maple syrup and spoon about 1/4 teaspoon of the mixture into each cookie. Top one pecan on each cookie.
- DRIZZLE WITH CHOCOLATE: Melt the chocolate and coconut oil either in a double boiler or in the microwave in a 15 second increments, whisking well in between. Be sure not overheat, otherwise, the chocolate will seize. Drizzle melted chocolate over each cookie and allow to set for a few minutes. Enjoy or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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Variations and substitutions
- Refined coconut oil – use unrefined coconut oil if you don’t mind the coconut flavor or sub with vegan butter (not paleo). Ghee and unsalted butter work too if not dairy-free
- Maple syrup – you can sub with your favorite liquid sweetener such as coconut nectar syrup, agave or honey (if not vegan). To make keto turtle cookies, simply swap with a sugar-free maple syrup OR yacon syrup
- Pecan butter – we love using pecan butter for the caramel filling but you can also sub with sunbutter OR your favorite nut butter
- Fill the cookies with your favorite jam for Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Fill the cookies with dairy-free chocolate chips like our Peanut Butter Blossoms
Storage Instructions
HOW TO STORE: Store the baked cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze Turtle Cookies
Absolutely!
To freeze dough balls, simply place the dough balls in a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. Then transfer the paleo cookie dough balls to a large zip-lock bag.
To freeze baked turtle cookies, simply place the gluten free cookies on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for 20 minutes. Then transfer the keto cookies to an airtight resealable container and freeze for up to 3 months.
HOW TO FREEZE: You can either freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls or the baked cookies.
To freeze dough balls, simply place the dough balls in a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. Then transfer the paleo cookie dough balls to a large zip-lock bag.
To freeze baked turtle cookies, simply place the gluten free cookies on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for 20 minutes. Then transfer the keto cookies to an airtight resealable container and freeze for up to 3 months.
More holiday cookies:
No Bake German Chocolate Cake Cookies
Classic Pecan Snowball Cookies
If you need to find more holiday cookies, you can find all my cookies HERE or stop by my cookies board on Pinterest and follow along to stay up to date:
These Turtle Cookies are a healthy twist on the holiday classic made with a gluten-free shortbread cookie base with crunchy pecan, dairy-free caramel with a chocolate drizzle. Soft, chewy and a delicious addition to your holiday cookie tray! Gluten-free, paleo, vegan with low carb and keto sweetener options.
- 1 1/2 cups superfine blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup solid organic refined coconut oil , not melted - you want the consistency to be similar to softened butter - may also sub with softened vegan butter OR softened ghee if not dairy-free vegan
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup OR may sub with sugar-free maple syrup or yacon syrup for low carb / keto
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 16 pecan halves
- 1/4 cup pecan butter OR may sub with other nut or seed butter but pecan butter gives the best caramel flavor
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup OR may sub with sugar-free maple syrup or yacon syrup for low carb / keto
- 1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate OR chocolate chips , we use Hu's Kitchen OR Lily's Sweets
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, ghee, sweetener, vanilla and almond extract, if using. Mix well with a fork until dough is combined.
- Cover bowl and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Remove dough from fridge. Form the dough into 1.5 inch balls. Make an indentation using your thumb or a 1/4 teaspoon in the center of each dough.
- Place on a large parchment lined baking sheet about 1.5 inches apart. Place the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 360F. Bake for 10-11 minutes, until just set. Be careful not to overbake as the cookies will continue to bake after you remove them from the oven.
- Remove from oven and indent into the center of each cookie again, if necessary.
Allow to cool completely. Transfer to wire rack or cookie tray - do not transfer warm cookies otherwise, they will break apart.
Combine pecan butter with maple syrup and spoon about 1/4 teaspoon of the mixture into each cookie. Top each cookie with a pecan.
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil either in a double boiler or in the microwave in a 15 second increments, whisking well in between. Be sure not overheat, otherwise, the chocolate will seize.
Drizzle melted chocolate over each cookie and allow to set for a few minutes. Enjoy or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Aubrey G -
Yum, omg made these on the weekend and they were amazing! thanks so much!