Chocolate chip cookie dough truffles

About a month ago, the first year med students at my school were in the midst of their finals week. As part of our school tradition, the second year med students (the big sibs) generally make or buy some snacks for them (the little sibs). “Perfect”, I thought, “another excuse to bake!” Except, the recipe I ended up going with doesn’t actually require any baking at all. Which I suppose is quite alright, as that meant I could make these without even having to haul all my baking supplies to the communal kitchen. I saw a recipe on Love and Olive Oil for these cute little chocolate chip cookie dough truffles, which are basically little balls of raw cookie dough (without any raw eggs) enveloped in a shell of chocolate like their popular cousin the cake truffle. So simple in concept, and so devilishly indulgent!

I wanted to switch up the flavor a little, so I used dark chocolate chips for the cookie dough filling and a semi-sweet chocolate coating. I think these would also have been excellent with a coating of chopped nuts after being dipped in chocolate, to add another element of flavor and texture. If you don’t like your truffles too sweet, I would suggest cutting down on the sugar a bit, as these were sweet enough that you would probably just pop one at a time and be very satisfied. These were a treat for my sweet tooth while studying for my board exam, and I hope they made finals week a little  more bearable for my little sib :)

chocolate chip cookie dough truffles

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles (makes about 40 truffles)

Adapted from Love and Olive Oil

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda (optional)
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips, chopped (or use mini chips)
• 12 oz. (1 bag) of semi-sweet chocolate chips for coating

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in milk and vanilla and blend until combined. (Do you ever just sneak a nibble of this creamed mixture when you are making cookies? It is sooo good…)

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Then stir into butter mixture by hand until mixed. Stir in chopped dark chocolate chips.

chopped dark chocolate chips

3. Cover and chill dough in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. When dough is firm, form into 1-inch balls and place on wax paper-lined trays. Set in freezer for 30 minutes to chill thoroughly.

cookie dough rolled into balls

4. Melt 3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips at a time in a microwave safe dish, with a drizzle of vegetable oil (I like to melt my chips on 50% high power, for 1 and a half minutes, with additional 30 second heatings until chips melt when stirred). You can adjust the vegetable oil in the chocolate to achieve a smoother consistency for dipping.

5. Dip truffles in chocolate and shake off excess before placing on wax paper to set. The finished truffles can be kept in the fridge, or stored in the freezer for later.

freshly dipped truffles

You may prefer to dip your truffles in chocolate bark, which may make for a thinner coating. However the one time I tried to dip with chocolate bark, I noticed it had a bizarre habit of shrinking as it cooled, thereby squeezing out some of the filling through holes in the coating. I have no idea why, but I’ve stuck with chocolate chips since then. Either way, don’t forget to share the wealth when you’re done! (p.s. excuse the condensation on my truffles, since I took some of the pictures after I took them out of the fridge and it is humid here in St. Louis!)

chocolate chip cookie dough truffles

chocolate chip cookie dough truffle cut open