Flourless Buckeye Turtle Thumbprint Cookies

Flourless chocolate peanut butter cookies are dotted with peanuts, filled with peanut butter caramel, and drizzled with chocolate to resemble turtles!

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Today the Buckeyes take on the Fighting Illini, a rivalry that may not be as strong today as OSU v That State Up North (first met in 1897) but from 1919 to 1933 the Illinois v Ohio State game was the regular-season finale for both teams. The winner of the game claims the Illibuck trophy which is a carved wooden turtle.

Originally it was in fact a live turtle when the trophy tradition first began in 1925, chosen for its expected long life as a symbol of the anticipated long life of the rivalry, but the turtle actually died a year later and 10 wooden replicas have been carved since. It is the second oldest trophy in the Big Ten Conference, second to the Little Brown Jug (That State Up North v Minnesota 1892).

These days, Ohio State plays That State Up North as the regular-season finale since 1935. And normally the season finale would be this very weekend but due to a late start from COVID we won’t be playing them for 2 more weeks. So today the Fighting Illini and these cute turtle thumbprints to pair with the game!

I added cocoa to my favorite flourless peanut butter cookies and filled them with homemade peanut butter-caramel sauce (alternatively, you could use caramel peanut butter). Add a few peanuts and you have the making for some adorable turtle looking cookies. To the victor goes the spoils! Except if Illinois does win I don’t have any Illinois fan-friends to give these to, so I guess the spoils are mine regardless… especially since after I published this post the game was cancelled due to too many positive COVID test resutls, ugh!

Eight years ago: Onion Ring Topped BBQ Bacon Burger

Nine years ago: Red Velvet Crème Brulee Cupcakes

FLOURLESS BUCKEYE TURTLE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

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Yield: 2 dozen Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

PEANUT BUTTER-CARAMEL

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• Pinch of sea salt
• 3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

COOKIES

• 1 cup chunky natural peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Roasted peanuts
• 2 oz. chocolate, melted for garnish

Directions

1. First make the peanut butter-caramel. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add all of the ingredients, except for the peanut butter. Cook while constantly whisking for about 3 minutes. Stir in peanut butter and cook while constantly whisking for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
3. In large bowl, blend peanut butter with sugar, cocoa powder, egg, and vanilla until combined. Scoop onto prepared baking sheet using a small cookie scoop (I used my medium cookie scoop but then split the dough ball in half). Insert 5 peanuts into the sides of each cookie to emulate the head and limbs of a turtle.
4. Bake 10 minutes, or until cookies have slightly flattened and are not shiny.
5. Remove from oven and immediately press an indentation into the center of each cookie. Spoon in 1/2 teaspoon of the  peanut butter-caramel into the hole and drizzle with melted chocolate.
6. Allow to cool 5 more minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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