This particular dessert creation was sparked by a challenge from my husband. We had baked chocolate chip cookies, but we were not eating them quickly enough. With ten hard chocolate chip cookies, he asked if I could make them into something that would improve on their current state. I accepted the challenge, and wow do our tastebuds thank us! Using items we had stored in our pantry, plus cream cheese, this flavor-packed truffle was born. The flavors and consistency are reminiscent of a cheesecake.

The other beauty of this dessert is that it’s very adaptable. There are no specific measurements below as you can adjust depending on how many leftover cookies you have in your cookie jar. Use your best judgement on proportions – it’s nothing that can be messed up, just personal likings of gooey-ness. You could also use purchased cookies, but crispy cookies are best, such as Tate’s.

Ingredients

• 10 Hard/Stale Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 2 Scoops Cream Cheese
• 1 Scoop Nutella
• Dash of Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Dark Chocolate Bar, ideally around 70%+
• Pinches of Sea Salt

While you’re making the truffle dough, melt the chocolate bar. I highly recommend splurging for an official chocolate candy melt pot, such as a Wilton – it makes life so much easier when making chocolate dipped desserts. If you don’t have one though, you can still melt the chocolate, but I would wait until your truffles are rolled & chilled. You can either melt the chocolate on the stove top, or there are notes below on how to microwave the chocolate.

In a food processor, pulse the cookies until they’re completely crumbled. Add a scooping heap of cream cheese, roughly one spoon full for every 5 cookies. *Note – it’s always better to start with less and add more if needed! You want the dough to be sticky but you want the ratio of cookie to creaminess to be similar to that of raw cookie dough. Add a spoonful of Nutella, a dash of cinnamon, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Pulse the mixture until all the ingredients are well mixed.

 Scoop out the dough, roll into small round balls and then place them on a tray lined with parchment paper. When sizing them, remember they will be decadent! Chill the dough balls in the refrigerator or freezer until they are firm – this will help them keep their shape when you’re dipping them in the hot, melted chocolate.

Once the dough balls are firm, you can begin dipping them in the melted chocolate. I find using two tooth picks, as well as a spoon, work well in dipping the dough balls. You want the dough to be completely covered in the chocolate, but you want the excess chocolate to drip off so that your truffle doesn’t have a puddle of chocolate at it’s base. Place the freshly dipped truffle back onto the parchment, and then sprinkle with sea salt. Once all the dough balls have been dipped & salted, place them back in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate. Once the chocolate has hardened, you will want to cover them and store in the refrigerator. Serve between a slight chill and room temperature – I usually pull them out of the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

• Microwaving Chocolate Bars: In a microwave safe mug or bowl, break up the chocolate bar and stack the squares in the mug. I usually start with about 3 to 4 squares at a time. Place in the microwave for 30 seconds, and then stir it. Place back in the microwave for another 30 seconds, and repeat stirring. Many notes here! One, the mug gets really hot so have a hot mitt nearby. The chocolate will continue to melt once it’s out of the microwave, so continue to stir it – I even add in additional squares at this point, and they usually melt while I’m stirring the chocolate. It’s important not to overheat the chocolate because it will burn. You can put it back in the microwave but do it for shorter intervals and keep an eye on it.

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