Hi, pals!

Do you have any favorite indulgences that have followed you throughout your life? Mine would definitely be cookie dough! I remember being a little girl and running back and forth to the kitchen to steal some cookie dough as my dad was baking chocolate chip cookies. Who am I kidding – I still do that! I just love the way chocolate chip cookie dough melts in your mouth, revealing the sweet chocolate morsels. But now that I’m trying to create healthier eating habits, I’ve almost made a hobby out of recreating my favorite treats with healthier ingredients. So I obviously had to do the same with cookie dough (but with a little twist)!

I made some chocolate cookie dough cups (like Reese’s but with cookie dough instead of PB), but you can enjoy the cookie dough on it’s own too! The cookie dough is vegan, grain-free, and can be refined sugar free (depending on the ingredients you choose). You can make the chocolate coating refined sugar free as well, by making your own with cacao powder, cocoa butter, and agave or maple syrup!

I’m not gonna fool ya and say I came up with the idea for these chocolate cookie dough cups on my own. Over vacation, my family stopped in a candy shop, and Josh found a “cookie dough peanut butter cup”. He told me I should try to make something like it, so I decided to go for it! Although my version is quite a bit different, I think it was a success!

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough:

• 1/3 c. almond flour (or other flour of your choice)
• 1/4 c. nut butter (almond butter & cashew butter are more subtle than peanut butter)
• 1/4 c. vanilla almond milk (add more for a thinner dough)
• 2 tbsp. agave nectar (can replace with pure maple syrup)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1/2 c. dark chocolate chunks (use cacao nibs or sugar-free choc. chips to make refined sugar free)

Chocolate Coating:

• Dairy-free and refined sugar-free chocolate like Eating Evolved or Raaka

OR

• 1/2 c. cocoa butter
• 1/2 c. cacao powder
• 1/4 c. pure maple syrup

To make the cookie dough, add the almond flour, nut butter, almond milk, agave, vanilla extract, and salt to a food processor or high-speed blender. If you want a thinner dough, add a little more almond milk until you get your desired consistency. Once the dough is smooth, fold in your chocolate chunks or cacao nibs. If you just want the cookie dough, stop after this step, If you want to make the chocolate cookie dough cups, continue with the steps below.

To make the chocolate cookie dough cups, begin by lining a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Melt your chocolate. If you’re using a pre-made chocolate bar or chocolate chips, you can melt in the microwave or over a double boiler. If you want to make your own, melt the cocoa butter over a double boiler, and then add in the cacao powder and maple syrup. Pour an even layer into the bottom of the cupcake liners and place in the freezer until solid. Add a dollop of cookie dough on top of the frozen chocolate layer and spread it into an even layer. Pour another chocolate layer on top of the cookie dough and freeze until solid. Store in the fridge or freezer.

I hope you enjoy these tasty treats!

Naturally,

Ari