Buttercream-filled Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Truffles

Today marks the second week out of twelve for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats. And what else screams Christmas other than sinckerdoodles?
Besides chocolate chips cookies I’m pretty sure snickerdoodles are the favorite cookie to make during the holidays.

What I’m sharing today isn’t really the classic snickerdoodle, not at all! Today is all about vanilla buttercream-filled snickerdoodle cookie dough truffles! Yes it is a mouthful to say, but when has that ever stopped anyone from eating deliciously sweet goodies? It certainly doesn’t happen to me. In fact, the longer the title, the better, because it promises that much flavor.

 

 

When I saw these on Darla’s blog, I knew I had to make them. I mean just look at her photos and tell me you aren’t already drooling over the smooth snerckerdoodle balls cloaked in smooth chocolate.
I decided to go with a semi-sweet chocolate coating because white chocolate tends to make my stomach churn, and in all honesty I don’t even miss the white chocolate because these cookie dough truffles re so amazing! Every time I finished one I found myself going back for seconds, sometimes even grabbing two because I knew I would be back for thirds.

Many thanks goes to Brenda, author of Meal Planning Magic, for hosting such a wonderful event!   

 

 

Buttercream-filled Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Truffles
From Bakingdom
Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chilled vanilla buttercream (or use full recipe below)
1 12oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in about 10 oz. of the sweetened condensed milk. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Gradually add in the flour and mix until combined. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, add more sweetened condensed milk; if the mixture is too wet, mix in some more flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

While the dough is chilling, roll 1 tsp. sized pieces of buttercream into balls. Chill the buttercream balls.

Once the dough has chilled, use a medium-small cookie scoop to portion out the dough. Roll portioned out dough into balls. Flatten each ball and place one buttercream ball in the middle. Roll the dough around the buttercream. Chill for another 20-30 minutes.

Place a large heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water (or use a double boiler). Pour the chocolate chips into the bowl and wait for it to melt. Stir occasionally. Once the chocolate has completely melted remove from heat.

Use a toothpick or lollipop stick to dip each cookie dough ball into the chocolate. Tap the stick on the side of the ball to shake off the excess chocolate. Place onto a foil-lined cookie sheet. Chill the chocolate-covered dough balls until the chocolate has hardened.

Vanilla Buttercream
from Bakingdom
makes enough for this particular project

Ingredients
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until sooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in the salt, heavy cream, and vanilla until completely incorporated.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

I have been posting a lot of cake recipes lately. Lets change that.

Today I bring you two delicious desserts combined into one! I saw this recipe on Foodgawker and saved it because it really is an ingenious idea. Cookie dough is soft and brown sugary and make people happy. Brownies (the good ones) are dense, fudgy, and full of chocolate! Combining these two things really does make an awesome dessert.

I was actually kind of nervous when making these because I didn’t read the comments for tips on how to improve until I was getting all the ingredients together. Then I started to get nervous when I kept reading all these comments about how the cookie dough topping was crumbly and how the brownie bottom was dry. Despite this, I decided to make them anyways and hope for the best.

Michelle, from Brown Eyed Baker, used the creaming method for her brownie base, but I decided to switch it up a bit and use the original recipe of melting the butter and whisking it with the brown sugar. The cookie dough part was hardly changed at all (just the addition of salt) and it was not crumbly at all! This eggless cookie dough has the perfect regular chocolate chip cookie dough consistency, and this is coming from a girl who is back to baking in the dry, high-altitude of Colorado. I don’t know what those crazy people where doing.

The brownie is soft, and sort of cake like, which isn’t too bad since it pairs well with the soft cookie dough on top. I feel if the brownie base was like a regular fudge brownie this dessert would be way to rich. The cookie dough is so perfectly textured, I was almost tempted to not put the dough on top of the brownie base and just eat it out of the bowl with a spoon, it really is that good!  

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Makes one 8-inch square pan

Ingredients

Brownie Base

2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and still warm

¾ cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

Cookie Dough Topping

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup + 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

¼ cup + 2 tbsp. sugar

1 ½ tbsp. milk

¾ tsp. pure vanilla extract

¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

¼ - 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

To make the brownie base: preheat the oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with tin foil. Grease foil with cooking spray and set aside.

In a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, add the chopped semi sweet chocolate. Stir occasionally until completely melted. Turn off the heat and set the bowl of melted chocolate aside to cool.

In a medium bowl whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until combined and the mixture looks creamy. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, adding the second once the first has been incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate. Fold in the flour and salt until just combined. The mixture will be very liquidy.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean when inserted in the center. Do not remove the brownie from the pan; allow it to cool while you make the cookie dough topping.

To make the cookie dough topping: in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add both sugars to the beaten butter. Cream the ingredients until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. Add the milk and vanilla and beat on medium until combined. Turn the mixer speed down to low and gradually add the flour and salt. Mix until flour is just incorporated. Turn the mixer off and fold in the chocolate chips.

To assemble: Spread the cookie dough over the just warm brownie (still in the pan). Make sure to spread the dough evenly to the corners of the pan. Place plastic wrap over the dough and freeze until the dough has become firm. Remove cookie dough brownie from the pan and cut into desired portions. Allow the brownie to come to room temperature before serving.

Cookie Dough Balls

Cookie dough, oh cookie dough, oh how I love thee. The only problem is I was always told that I should never eat raw cookie dough because of the risk of salmonella. Did that stop me? Uh…yeah, no.

Even when I was little and baking those cubes of deliciousness (a.k.a. Toll House chocolate chip cookies) I would sneak a few dough chunks and eat those as I waited for the cookies in the oven to finish baking. Now, I’ve been eating dough that for years and I’m still alive, and so is the rest of the population who has been lucky enough to sneak a bite (or two, or three). So I think that whole salmonella thing is a bunch of whooey! I haven’t heard of anyone getting seriously sick (besides a tummy ache) from eating a little piece of heaven.

Nonetheless, it’s better to be safe than sorry, right? Which is part of the reason why I flipped when I saw these cookie dough ball things on Joy the Baker’s blog.

 

This is cookie dough that you can eat safely because the recipe lacks the one ingredient everyone is afraid of: egg! Instead of binding the dough with eggs, Joy gives three options: Greek yogurt, applesauce, and peanut butter. Well, I wasn’t going to open an entire thing of yogurt for two tablespoons, and I detest applesauce, so peanut butter wins! (but doesn’t it always?)

These cookie dough balls were great! You have to keep them in the freezer, or they’ll get soft and kind of crumbly on you, but that’s ok because with the summer heat an all, a cool treat that isn’t ice cream or a popsicle is kind of mind blowing.

The frozen dough tastes faintly of peanut butter (that’s to be expected), and when you bite into it and you hit a frozen chocolate chip, it’s the best! It makes the coolest snapping sound! (I’m not sorry if you think the simple things in life are amusing and exciting)

So go ahead and make these friendly and safe cookie dough bites. Then, when they are ready, you can eat the entire batch and not have to worry a single bit!

Cookie Dough Balls

Adapted slightly from Joy the Baker
Makes about 2 dozen small bites

Ingredients
½ stick unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup brown sugar
2 ½ tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. peanut butter
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup + 1 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1/3 cup (60 grams) chocolate chips

Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugars on medium-high speed together until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the peanut butter followed by the vanilla extract and beat well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Turn the mixer’s speed down to low and slowly add in the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on medium-high for about 30 seconds. Pour in the chocolate chips.

Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper so the frozen dough doesn’t stick to the pan. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out portions of dough (the dough may be a little crumbly, so pack it in there if necessary). Drop the dough onto the lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for a few hours or until firm. I’m pretty sure eating the dough straight out of the bowl would be just as (or even more so) satisfying.