When my children were younger, one of their favorite snacks (and probably not the most nutritious) was Dunk-A-Roos. They are individual packages of graham crackers (like Teddy Grahams) with a little scoop of frosting. Basically, they were dipping cookies in frosting. As much as my kids ate them, you could always find me in a corner somewhere hoarding a package myself.
This chocolate chip cookie dough dip was brought to my attention from Kristen O'Brien at Option One in Mansfield, MA. We were discussing my love of chocolate chip cookies and she asked if I had ever eaten chocolate chip cookie dough dip. For as much as I had seen many photos of the dip, I hadn't made it myself. She was telling me how delicious it was and I kept thinking "Dunk-A-Roos". She sent me the recipe and then I searched out a few more. I wanted to see what some of the ingredients were and how each recipe differed. I ended up using the basics to Laura's Sweet Spot recipe and added a few thing of my own.
The recipe for chocolate chip cookie dough dip is fairly basic. It very much reminded me of a butter cream frosting recipe with less confectioner's sugar. There are a few additional ingredients which give it a sweeter flavor along with some chocolate chip cookie qualities.
I started by melting the butter, but instead of just melting, I decided to brown the butter. Browning the butter gives it a wonderfully nutty flavor. Next, it called for light brown sugar. I love the depth of dark brown sugar so I added half light brown sugar and half dark brown. In the end, the recipe only called for mini chocolate chips. Instead, I added mini chips, Heath Bar Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits and ground pecans. I wanted the dip to have a caramel taste, the way my chocolate chip cookies do.
The minute I was finished, I was searching the pantry for cookie dippers. Ah, Mini Nilla Wafers and Mini Chocolate Teddy Grahams, let the dipping begin. My first victim was Jeff and he is not one who likes frosting. I think that is why we are perfect together...he likes cake, I like the frosting. No cake will ever go unfinished at our house. He liked it, but didn't love it. I, on the other hand, was eating the browned butter chocolate chip cookie dough dip with a spoon. My son, Stephen, arrived home and he is a sugar addict like me. The two of us began dipping Nilla Wafers like it was our last meal. As he was leaving I packed him a small container of dip and a bag of cookies so he could eat them in the car.
As I had everyone in the house try the dip, I realized we had very little left. This was definitely a tasty treat that was extremely easy to make as well as easy to enjoy. It's like eating potato chips and onion dip, you can't dip just once. The next time you are looking for a quick snack or easy dessert, think Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip - you can't dip just once!
Thank you, Kristen, for introducing us to this incredibly delicious dessert.
Recipe for Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter
1- 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup of light brown sugar (we used 1/8 cup dark and 1/8 cup light brown sugar)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
a pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup Heath Bar Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits
1/4 cup ground nuts (we used pecans)
Serve with:
Mini or regular Nilla Wafers
Teddy Grahams - Any variety
Graham Crackers
Apples
Sponge Cake
or your favorite dessert to dip
Preparation:
1. In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until the butter turns a slight golden brown. It will get very foamy, but if you stir occasionally it will reduce. It takes about 4-6 minutes. Once the butter gets golden, remove from heat and allow the butter to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, blend the browned butter and cream cheese.
3. Add the sugars, vanilla and salt. Beat until well blended, about 1 minute.
4. Mix the nuts, mini chocolate chips and Heath Bar bits by hand. Chill or serve immediately. Makes about 2+ cups.
Written by Tricia White
