Chocolate Turtle Cookies

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Over the past few years, our family has had the tradition of the Blessing Basket. There are times that we are better about remembering to do it than others, but every night before bed, we each write down on slips of paper something we are grateful for that day and then place the papers in a basket. I just spent a good half hour reading through a bunch of them, and reminiscing. Here are a few.

• I'm  am glad our family can play card games together.
• I'm glad we have a really beautiful final memory of Grandma Lu.
• I am thankful for my friends, the stars, and for Halloween.
• I'm thankful for kids who make me laugh.
• I'm thankful I could take a long nap today.
• I'm grateful to live in a land where I can vote and not be afraid to voice my opinion.
• I'm thankful I didn't puke today.
• I'm thankful I can read and enjoy great books, and I'm thankful for the people who wrote them.
• I'm thankful for my cat, Chester, and my friends, Sebi and Jeffrey.
• I'm thankful for Jesus and his example for me.

This week, we changed the Blessing Basket to a Service Basket. I got the idea from a talk by President Monson titled "What Have I Done for Someone Today?". For the next little while, each family member will write down every night something he/she has done for someone else.

Here is where this recipe for chocolate turtle cookies comes in. I thought I'd make some cookies to welcome a new family to the neighborhood for my act of service. And of course, I'd make enough for my family to enjoy as well.

I haven't had these cookies for a long time. My mom made them when I was young, and I loved them. They're really easy to make, and kids love to help out because it's like making little chocolate waffles.

So, if you want to do a good deed and put a smile on someone's face, make a batch of these.

Here they are before the frosting. Another great idea would

be to serve them like this with ice cream and hot fudge sauce.

The finished turtles. What a fun cookie!

Chocolate Turtle Cookies

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup butter
  
• ¾ cup cocoa
  
• 2 cups flour
  
• 1 ½ cups sugar
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 2 tsps. vanilla
  

Melt butter and mix in cocoa. Combine the remaining ingredients and add in the cocoa mixture. Mix well. Drop by small amounts onto a heated waffle iron. Bake for 1-2 minutes depending on waffle iron. Remove and cool. Frost with chocolate frosting (see recipe below) and add a walnut or pecan half.    

Curtis' Cocoa Butter Frosting


Ingredients:

• 8 Tbsps. Butter
  
• 6 Tbsps. cocoa powder
  
• ¼ cup milk
  
• 1 ½ tsps. vanilla
  
• 4 ½ to 4 ¾ cups powdered sugar
  

Mix melted butter and cocoa powder in a bowl or stand mixer. Mix in milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Once all sugar is incorporated, mix on high for 30 seconds.