Cookie Dough Truffles

Cookie dough truffles make me feel fancy. Maybe it's because they're delicately dipped in chocolate (though technically they're more dunked and rolled around when I make them..) but the word "truffle" just elevates the cookie dough to a higher level. It's definitely a more acceptable way to consume cookie dough than hiding at the bottom of my backyard with some friends, eating out of the tub of cookie dough we had bought at the super market.

Yep, we sure were classy in high school. Still are.

I've made these truffles a few times, but this was the first time I've made them since having this little blog of mine. I used to use whatever cookie dough recipe I felt like using, but this time I cracked open one of my favorite cookbooks - The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook and followed along with her, mostly because I can never figure out how much chocolate to melt to dip the truffles in. It's either too much or too little but this time was just right :)

This time, I made these truffles for my monthly book club with friends. SO fun and there was SOOOOO much good food. I already mentioned it in yesterday's thursday things, but seriously. Baked brie, mozzarella, bruschetta, olives, pesto pizza, veggie pizza, pesto tortellini, kale salad, veggies and dip, fruit, sooo much wine, and dessert. I seriously look forward to book club because it's always different. Some months it's just appetizer food aka just tons of cheese and crackers. Some months it's dinner central with soup, ravioli, pasta, bread, etc. And some months it's a wonderful blend between the two.

Sorry. I like food, like a lot. So drinking wine plus eating good food with friends is pretty much the recipe for a best night ever.

Anyway. I made these truffles for my dessert contribution, and let's just say that most of these disappeared that night between the 9 of us. There were a handful leftover which I had to share because it was too easy to have truffles for breakfast.

The truffles themselves are very easy - it just takes time. The dough takes about 5 minutes, rolling the truffles another few minutes, and then while they chill you can melt/prep the candy melts and/or chocolate. The tedious part is dipping each truffle individually and gently setting it on the baking sheet so that they truffle stays pretty. The tricky part is keeping the chocolate/candy melts at the right temperature so it doesn't overheat but doesn't start to harden and cool. I found that when I made a makeshift double boiler (a small pot with 1" water simmering with a heat-proof bowl on top NOT touching the water) the chocolate stayed the perfect dipping consistency the whole time.

Now I'm sad that these are all gone.. I guess I know what I'm doing this weekend.

Cookie Dough Truffles

makes about 30-40 truffles

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

12 oz candy coating/chocolate

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in milk and vanilla, mixing until combined. Using a wooden spoon, add in flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together. Stir in mini chocolate chips.

Line a baking sheet with foil, parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Roll dough into 1/2 tablespoon sized balls. Place on sheet and chill/freeze dough balls.

While dough balls are chilling, prepare the chocolate/candy melts. If using candy melts, melt according to package directions. If using chocolate, melt chocolate using either a double boiler or microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until smooth and melted. Take one truffle out of the fridge/freezer at a time, dipping into the chocolate. Use a fork to gently remove the truffle, tapping gently against the side of the bowl to get rid of excess chocolate/coating, and set back down on the baking sheet.

Refrigerate truffles until coating/chocolate has set. Transfer truffles to an airtight container and store in the fridge.

Notes: I used both pink candy melts and regular dark chocolate. For the chocolate truffles, I transferred some of the pink candy melts to a squeeze bottle and decorated the tops of the truffles. Sprinkles work great, too. Also, my candy melts weren't thin enough when melted, so I added a teaspoon of vegetable oil at a time until I got a good dipping consistency.

[source: recipe from The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook]