Chocolate Turtle Cookies

This recipe makes about 30 cookies.  Double the recipe if you're tempted to eat several

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, separated, plus 1 egg white
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups pecans, chopped very fine
14 soft caramels
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

• Combine flour, cocoa and salt in bowl--set aside.  
• In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes
• Add egg yolk, milk and vanilla and mix well
• Add dry ingredients, just until combined
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour
• Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions. Preheat to 350 degrees
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
• Whisk egg whites in bowl until frothy
• Place pecans in separate bowl.
• Roll dough in to 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites and roll in pecans
• Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Using a 1/2 teaspoon make indentations in each cookie.
• Bake until set about 12 minutes, rotating and switching baking sheets halfway through
• Microwave caramels and cream until smooth, 1-2 minutes stirring occassionally
• Once cookies are removed from oven, repress indentations and fill with 1/2 teaspoon caramel
• Cool 10 minutes and move to rack to cool completely.

Yield:  30 cookies