This summer I had the misfortune to encounter the internet culinary sensation known as cookie dough dip.
It was at a potluck party and folks were raving about this creation, which until then I'd been ignorant of. Being fans of all things cookie dough — not to mention feeling a fair degree of affection for all manner of dips — my son and I were eager to try this seemingly miraculous blend of two of nature's most wonderful food products.
The look of betrayal on my son's face as he put a heaping bite of it into his mouth was hilariously heartbreaking. So I tried it. He was right. This wildly popular dip is made by blending canned white beans and chocolate chips, among other unlikely ingredients. The idea is to create a healthy dip that supposedly tastes like cookie dough.
It doesn't. It's not cute. It's not tasty. It's not coy. And it's certainly not good.
Much as I love hummus, I do not love hummus that pretends to be cookie dough. Nor do I want my cookie dough spiked with pureed beans. Call me crazy.
So I decided to create my own version of this monstrosity. Except that my chocolate chip cookie dough dip would actually taste like chocolate chip cookie dough miraculously transformed into a dip. It would be sweet, but not too sweet. It would be studded with deliciously chewy chunks of cookie dough. Real cookie dough, not masticated beans.
The result was a delicious sugar rush that begs for something crunchy and salty to dip in it.
For the cookie dough nuggets, I used a modified version of an eggless chocolate chip cookie dough recipe from Lindsay Landis' book, "The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook" (a fun book for anyone who loves raw cookie dough). You could use purchased cookie dough instead, but be certain to use one that contains only pasteurized eggs.
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CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH DIP
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 24
For the cookie dough:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
For the dip:
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1/2 cup sour cream
10 Oreo (or similar) cookies, crushed
To make the cookie dough, in a large bowl use an electric mixer to beat the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the milk, vanilla and salt, then mix well. Add the flour and mix just until thoroughly blended. Mix in the chocolate chips.
Divide the mixture into chunks, about 1 teaspoon each. They don't need to be perfectly rounded. Arrange them without touching on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, then place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a food processor combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Process until smooth and creamy. Add the milk, almond extract, salt and sour cream, then process. Transfer to a bowl, then use a spatula or spoon to gently stir in the crushed cookies.
Once the cookie dough chunks have chilled, gently stir them into the dip. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 240 calories; 120 calories from fat (50 per cent of total calories); 13 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 30 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 21 g sugar; 3 g protein; 105 mg sodium
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Food Editor J.M. Hirsch is author of the cookbook "High Flavor, Low Labor: Reinventing Weeknight Cooking." Follow him to great eats on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JM_Hirsch or email him at jhirsch(at)ap.org.
