Test cookie

I attempted a concept cookie that I have had in my mind for a while.  I wanted to take the flavors of a candy...namely a turtle...and see if I could do it in a cookie. 
I had the idea that if I took my basic chocolate cookie dough and add the main ingredients from the candy which are caramel and pecans, it would make an interesting cookie.
Since they don't sell caramel in chip form (like chocolate chips and such) and since I didn't want to go to the trouble of making my own (which I have done but not in a long time) I bought the packaged candy and cut into smaller pieces.

I also took some pecan half's and kept most of them intact to have a bigger bite of nut in each cookie instead of using the pieces you can sometimes get away with.
I prepped all my ingredients, whipped up my chocolate cookie batter and added in my extra ingredients of caramel and pecans.
I dropped them all by tablespoonful onto a prepared baking sheet and popped them into the pre-heated oven.
Then I set the timer and waited.  Half way through the cooking process I flipped the light on in the oven and took a peek without opening the door to avoid dropping the baking temperature. 
When they were done I removed them and transferred them to the cooling racks.  I knew then they weren't going to be exactly as planned.  The baking time for the cookies is longer than caramel should be cooked but I would need to wait and see after they cooled but I knew.

They look splendid.  But I am not sure they are the concept I started out with.  The caramel doesn't have the gooey rich consistency that I would have liked to compliment the crisp of the nut.  Instead, the caramel took on an almost crunchy brittle type flavor which isn't bad but not smooth.
I will have to take the test batch to work and see what feedback I get.  These aren't the "turtle candy cookies" I thought I was going for but maybe they can be something else...like a brittle pecan chocolate cookie.
Maybe...or just another experiment in the kitchen.  I don't think anyone at work will mind too badly to give them a try and maybe even give me an inspiration for something else.
Inspiration is always good.
TT