Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Sherman wanted me to make him some cookies.
The winner of my giveaway, Emily, had a recent post about Cookie Dough Truffles. I love blogging for so many reasons-one is that I meet really interesting bloggers that post fantastic recipes! They looked so darn cute and easy to make- of course-Sherman wanted me to make them too. I used the recipe as inspiration but made all kinds of twists for Being Healthier!
Being Healthier:
Chocolate is so fabulous and yes, it contains antioxidants but that does not make it magic nor justify consumption in copious amounts! Everything in moderation, right?! In place of half the chocolate, I would sub in chopped walnuts especially if you are coating these babies in chocolate too. In place of half the butter, I used peanut butter because, well, its fabulous too but it adds fiber, protein and healthy unsaturated fat. Subbing the chocolate with 1/2 cup chopped walnuts made me happy for three reasons- 1. I had walnut pieces inside Sherman 2. I like the way they add crunch and texture, and 3. They are super healthy! Walnuts are made up of:
6% Saturated fat, 14% Mono-unsaturaed fat, 58% Omega-6, 14% Omega-3 and offer 2.6 gm of Linoleic Acid
Consuming more – unsaturated fats is a healthy idea because they lower risk of heart disease, help with inflammation and do wonders for making your cells function. Want to know more about Nutrient Metabolism of Lipids? Check this out! Want to make these delicious bites of awesomeness? Keep Reading!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
(say it 3 x fast! )
Ingredients:
4 oz. (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
4 Tbs natural creamy peanut butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup instant oats, crushed
1/4 cup whole wheat AP flour (or sub gluten free if needed!)
pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnut pieces
Optional Topping:
12 ounces milk or dark chocolate, chopped
Sprinkles to decorate ( Springtime Flowers!)
Preparation:
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in peanut butter, then add the vanilla, the oats, flour and salt. Beat until combined. Fold in the chopped chocolate chips and walnut pieces( gently mix to incorporate chips into batter).
Shape truffles by rolling into a ball shape, laying on a baking sheet (I ran out of parchment and just used a nonstick sheet which worked fine but parchment would be great here too). Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill until firm, about 1-2 hours.
I stopped here, adding spring time sprinkles to my pan and pressing the truffles into them before chilling.
They look like they are ready for baking like a normal cookie but these don’t get baked! They taste just like cookie dough without the risky, uncooked egg! You could probably exclude the flour, using all oats, or maybe exclude the butter and just use peanut butter.
Sherman can’t store these unfortunately. Keep these in the refrigerator for storing because of the butter that holds them together! Mine were so “chocolatey” that I decided not to coat them in chocolate but to sprinkle them with springtime flowers.
Chocolate Coating:
If you decide to cover them in chocolate, I wouldn’t blame you! Just place them in the freezer ~ 1 hr prior to coating. This helps keep the butter nice and chilly so that it doesn’t melt when you dip the truffles in warmer chocolate. The best way to melt chocolate is in a double boiler because it allows heat to seap in slower = melting NOT burning. Microwaves can zap too quickly sometimes but can definitely work. If you don’t own a double broiler, just find a pan or pot that will hold a bowl slightly larger than the pot. Add water to the bottom pan, and put the chocolate into the top bowl. Melt over low-medium heat, the water should simmer. Stir the chocolate until smooth.
Remove a few frozen dough balls from the freezer when ready to dip! Emily had a great idea for this process: Pierce the dough ball with a toothpick and dip in the melted chocolate to coat. Using another toothpick, push the ball off the toothpick and set on your baking sheet. Continue with remaining dough balls. Decorate with sprinkles while chocolate is still wet. Here are hers:
Original recipe from The Gallery Gourmet courtesy of Emily)
yields about 3 dozen
Ingredients
8 ounces (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch of kosher salt
12 ounces milk or dark chocolate, chopped
Sprinkles to decorate
Alright, back to work for me! I am in a conference for the next two days and have been having a great time!
Happy Official Spring!
