Cookie Dough Bites...

Oh...My...Gosh... these are Heaven.

I saw these on one of my Favorite new food blogs, Annie's Eats, and immediately had to make them. Who doesn't love cookie dough?... And cookie dough that doesn't have raw eggs, what?! This is also a great birthday cake ball alternative for people who don't like cake, but enjoy cookies!

First you will need butter and brown sugar.



Pour in the river of goodness - Sweetened Condensed Milk.



Until it looks like this.



Now add the mini chocolate chips.



After mixing in the the chips, chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes.

Try not to eat it all...



Now, roll into one-inch balls. Freeze for about 1 hour. After bites are firm, melt the chocolate bark.



After the chocolate has melted, dip into the chocolate and place to dry on wax paper.



While the chocolate is drying, sprinkle a couple mini chocolate chips on top. That way everyone knows what's inside.





The Cookie Dough Bites are best served chilled, just like real cookie dough - right from the fridge. YUM!



Enjoy!

Cookie Dough Bites

Ingredients:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
2¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 bar of choclate bark for melting
Mini chocolate chips (for garnish)

Directions:
Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up enough to form balls.

Shape the chilled cookie dough mixture into 1-1½ inch balls.  Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Cover loosely, transfer the pan to the freezer and chill for 1-2 hours.

When ready to dip the truffles, melt the chocolate bark in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, or in the microwave at 30 second intervals.  Dip each chilled truffle, one at a time, coating in chocolate and shaking gently to remove the excess.  (If at any point during dipping, the cookie dough balls become too soft, return to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.)  Transfer to a wax-paper lined surface.  If using mini chocolate chips for garnish, sprinkle on top quickly after dipping each truffle before the chocolate sets.  Once all the truffles have been dipped, store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Taste of Home

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting...

Okay, these are amazing.  I'm serious... I'm not the biggest pumpkin pie lover (pass the pecan), but I became addicted to these! Just a little pop in the mouth and you are on your way to serious delicious street. And, who doesn't love saying WHOOPIE!?! I brought these to a tailgate this year, and by first quarter, gone. I know everyone has an extra can of pumpkin purée in their cabinet, break it out, or you will never use it.

First start with the dry ingredients...

Sift together.

Add the pumpkin. Look at that Orange!!

Add the eggs, make them look like an owl.

Whalaa, Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!!!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

Pumpkin Whoopie Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground fresh nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup canola oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare to baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk to sugars and oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
Use a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to drop healing TBSP of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the pan while you make the filling. They will look more like mini cakes then cookies, so don’t panic about that.

Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Filling

3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 TBSP maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese an beat until combined.
Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful no to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure.

To assemble:
Turn half the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe filling (about a TBSP) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoppie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm before serving.

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, and Culinary Concoctions.