People tend to have this idea that everything in my kitchen turns out perfectly… That couldn’t be further from the truth!

I’ve noticed lately that a lot of my friends are hesitant to cook for me. They’re afraid that the food won’t turn out perfectly or that I will hate what they choose to make. I wish they didn’t feel that way… I love sharing food with my friends and family, and I don’t want anyone to be intimidated! So, today I thought I’d share one of my recipes that turned out slightly less than perfect. It’s not a miserable failure, but I don’t think it’s one of my best, either.

I’ve had Easter on the brain the last few days… Normally I make a half dozen different cookies and candies for Easter, but this year I’ve been pretty busy, and it just hasn’t happened. I can’t do nothing, though, so I decided to “whip up” some quick chocolate chip cookie dough filled Easter eggs (kind of like peanut butter or coconut eggs… but with egg-free cookie dough). For some reason, I didn’t want to put flour in my cookie dough filling… I was nervous about the taste/texture. I’m not really sure why, since cookie dough has uncooked flour in it and I eat that all of the time (with the eggs, too!). So, my filling ended up being a bit on the runny side. It’s absolutely delicious, but the texture’s not quite right.

So, as I was thinking on the fly, it occurred to me that it might be better to make smaller peanut butter cup sized candies instead of giant Easter eggs. While I did make a few giant eggs, and they were tasty, the smaller portions were definitely easier to eat!

Next time, I will probably try adding some flour to the filling so that it holds together a bit better. I’ve listed it as an optional ingredient in the recipe so that you can decide for yourself if you choose to give it a try. Either way, these little cups of cookie dough flavored goodness are a rich and tasty treat!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cups

(Yield depends on the size of the cups or mold)

14 ounce can of fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 cup dark brown sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Approximately 2 – 3 cups powdered sugar

All purpose flour (optional)

1 cup chocolate chips

Additional chocolate chips for coating the cups (amount varies)

Shortening (just a teaspoon or two)

Chocolate molds (egg shaped or peanut butter cup shaped) or mini muffin paper cups

Heat the sweetened condensed milk and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for a minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until it is fluffy. Add in the sweetened condensed milk mixture, the vanilla extract, and the salt. Mix to combine. Gradually add the powdered sugar (and flour, if you choose to add flour) a bit at a time unti you reach your desired consistency. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Melt the additional chocolate in the microwave with a small amount of shortening (about 1/2 teaspoon for every two cups of chips). Brush the mold or the mini muffin cups with the melted chocolate. Spoon some of the cookie dough filling into the center, and then cover with additional melted chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.