Easy Turtle Sheet Cake Cookies Recipe (2024)

This amazing and easy Turtle Sheet Cake Cookies Recipe is based on turtle candy which is pecan halves covered with caramel and chocolate. The candy gets its name because when piled on top of each other…it looks like a turtle shell. While these Turtle Sheet Cake Cookies don’t resemble turtle candy to look at, they have all of the taste elements you crave. A soft chocolate cookie that is loaded with chopped pecans and then coated in homemade caramel icing. To make them even more amazing you can drizzle them with melted chocolate and top with more pecans. I am telling you…every single bite of these sheet cake cookies is pure bliss!

Do you love chocolate and caramel? Try this No Bake Twix Cake!

4 Reasons to love these Turtle Sheet Cake Cookies

1. The sheet cake cookies are loaded with chocolate, caramel and pecans! It is the perfect combination of sweet and salty, plus it has a great texture.
2. The cookie starts with a chocolate cake mix which means that they are super simple to make.
3. Topping every cookie with easy homemade caramel frosting gives these cookies that special something that you want. Trust me on this one.
4. From start to finish you can have cookies in less than one hour!

Ingredients Needed

• Chocolate Cake Mix-The perfect starting spot for a great chocolate flavored cookie.
• Vegetable Oil-The oil gives the cookie a great soft texture. Melted butter can always be substituted if you prefer.
• Eggs-Added for richness and to help bind all of the cookie ingredients.
• Chopped Pecans-For great flavor and awesome added crunch.
• Mini Chocolate Chips-Because more chocolate is always a great idea.
• Butter-Added to the frosting for flavor and to give the frosting a soft texture.
• Heavy Cream-Giving the frosting a rich caramel taste but half and half can also be used.
• Brown Sugar-Every awesome caramel starts with sweet brown sugar…YUM.
• Vanilla Extract-For that underlying flavor that makes all of the difference.
• Powdered Sugar-Added to the frosting for more sweetness and to give the frosting the wonderful velvety texture.
• Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers-An optional ingredient that adds a great look and extra special look on top of each cookie.

How to make Turtle Sheet Cake Cookies with a Cake Mix

1. Combine cake mix, oil and eggs in a medium bowl with a hand held mixer {or by hand} and mix until you have a thick dough. Add chopped pecans and mini chocolate chips.
2. Stir the chopped pecans and mini chocolate chips into the dough by hand until everything is evenly distributed.
3. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough onto a silicone mat {or parchment} lined baking sheet.
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet.

Cooked Caramel Frosting

Combine the heavy cream, butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook until everything is melted but not boiling.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Whisk until you have a smooth mixture.

If the frosting still has small chunks of powdered sugar you can put it back on the heat for a minute or so and the heat should remove them.

Spoon the mixture over the top of each cookie. Spread it out if needed. Allow it to set up for a few minutes.

Finally, you can melt chocolate {optional} and drizzle it over the top of each cookie. Add additional pecan halves or chopped pecans to the top of each cookie while the chocolate is still wet.

4 Pro Tips for Making Sheet Cake Cookies

• Use a cookie scoop to make sure that all of your cookies are the same size. This allows all of your cookies to bake at the same rate.
• Don’t over bake the cookies. Bake them until just set and then allow them to cool on the baking sheet. The residual heat from the baking sheet will continue baking the cookies slightly and allow them to set up nicely.
• Double frost the cookies. This caramel frosting can tend to be a bit thin and so to get a nice thick caramel frosting layer you can always add a double layer.
• Go ahead with the chocolate drizzle and extra pecans. Not only are you adding more flavor but doing so makes for a beautiful cookie.

Can I freeze my Turtle Sheet Cake Cookies?

Yes, you can freeze these cookies for up to 3 months but for best results freeze the cookies separately and then frost once defrosted. The caramel frosting can lose some of its quality in the freezer.

Do you love sheet cake cookies? Try these recipes…

• Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
• Peanut Butter Sheet Cake Cookies
• Rocky Road Sheet Cookies
• Red Velvet Sheet Cake Cookies
• White Sheet Cake Cookies
• Lemon Poppy Seed Sheet Cookies