There's fancy, and then there's fancy. These truffles were pretty amped up to begin with but I maaay have taken them to the next level. Oh yeah.
But I'm getting ahead of myself (as I've been known to do).
Obviously, I love cookie dough. And I love cookie dough truffles. But THESE...are just like, in a league of their own.
Anyway, then you make a fairly classic, eggless, chocolate chip cookie dough with that browned butter (and there's some heavy cream in there too...in case it wasn't rich enough before). BUT I added the delicious twist of, instead of chocolate chips, I folded TCHO's chocolate covered cocoa nibs into the dough. This was Michael's favorite part.
And then you coat the little perfect dough balls in dark chocolate and sprinkle coarse sea salt on top.
Perfecto!
The first bite is....dare I say...foodgasmic (it's the best word to describe it).
Just like...the most rich, sweet, salty, flavor explosion.
I can't even get over how amazing these were.
But, I was worried they'd be too much for Michael, that he wouldn't like them as much or something. But he totally fell in love too. His first bite, I could tell from his face, pretty much changed his life. And he loved the crunch from the cocoa nibs. And ever since, he hasn't been able to stop talking about them. Me either.
Just...stop. Stop reading. Run and make these. You simply must.
Salted Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Adapted from Cooking Classy
Makes approx. 26
Ingredients:
- 10 tbsp. butter
- seeds of 1/2 a large vanilla bean
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt (or table salt)
- 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1-2 tbsp. milk
- 1/2 cup chocolate covered cocoa nibs (or mini chocolate chips)
- 12 oz. chocolate coating/chocolate or 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
- Slit open half a vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds.
- To brown the butter: In a, preferably light colored, saucepan, combine butter and vanilla bean seeds. Over medium heat melt the butter and whisk constantly as the butter melts, foams, bubbles, and eventually little brown specks appear, and it turns amber.
- Pour into a heatproof bowl (making sure to get all the brown specks and vanilla bean seeds) and place into the freezer or refrigerator until cooled to a semi-liquid state.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer combine cooled butter, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt and beat on medium speed until fluffy.
- Stir in flour and 1 tbsp. milk until combined. If needed, add milk 1/2 tbsp. at a time until you have a soft, but firm dough.
- Mix in chocolate covered cocoa nibs or chocolate chips.
- Chill dough in freezer until it can easily be rolled into balls-about 30 minutes.
- Prepare a sheet with wax paper and melt the chocolate.
- Once dough is ready, scoop out 1 tbsp. at a time and roll into small balls. Coat in chocolate (or drizzle the chocolate over the dough balls) and place on the prepared sheet. Sprinkle each truffle with sea salt before the chocolate sets. (If the dough becomes difficult to roll into the balls or coat in chocolate, put back in the freezer for a little while.)
- Place finished truffles in the refrigerator to set. Store, chilled, in an airtight container.
Yes...I took those bites.
And yes...
it took a lot of self control to not finish the job by eating the rest (for the pictures...later I ate the rest.)