No Bake Turtle Cookies Recipe + VIDEO - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

Last updated on October 11, 2023

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These No Bake Turtle Cookies start with chocolate oatmeal no bake cookies topped with thick caramel, pecans, and a drizzle of chocolate! Perfect for Christmas baking. Includes step by step recipe video.

I love a good mash-up, you guys. I also love easy holiday treats that look like you spent a lot of time of them (because who actually has a lot of extra time around the holidays??). Enter these No Bake Turtle Cookies.

There are times, I’ll admit, when I come up with a recipe idea and I ask myself, “but, is it too much?”

I tell myself, “yes,” and then make it anyway.

Now, there is nothing wrong with a simple chocolate no-bake cookie. No-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies are one of the best classic cookie recipes. But ever since the popularity of my Mint Chocolate No Bake Cookies, I’ve been dreaming up other ways to get creative with them.

This one was a no-brainer. Turtle cookies?? Obviously!

They are crunchy, chewy, chocolatey-caramel perfection. And they are way too easy for their own good!

And since I know how much you all love Turtle everything (like Turtle Pumpkin Pie, Turtle Pudding Pies, or Peanut Butter Turtle Thumbprint Cookies), I knew you wouldn’t opposed.

It’s important for the recipe that you use a dulce de leche or very, very thick caramel (like the super easy recipe included!). If you use a caramel sauce, it will slide off and be very messy! One thing we’re not into here is fork-and-knife cookies.

When you’re forming the cookies, you ideally want them pretty flat so that it’s easy to spread with caramel and the pecan won’t slide off the top. If you have time to make a slight indentation before the cookies firm up, that’s not a bad idea either!

I made sure the cookie base set up nice and firm so that it wouldn’t be a complete mess in your hands. I used quick oats, just because that’s what I had, but I don’t think using large oats would change much except that you will have even more texture in your cookies.

*To make the Dulce de Leche:

Remove the label from one or more cans of sweetened condensed milk and place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 hours, making sure the can is completely covered with water the entire time. Remove from the water and let cool completely before using.

You can make as many as you want and store the unopened cans in the cupboard until ready to use! It’s a great thing to make ahead and will give you a nice, thick caramel as pictured.

Watch the recipe video and see how easy they are to make!