Are you a fan of cookie dough? I thought it would be fun to come up with a naturally sweetened cookie dough ‘truffle’ for our holiday goodie bags (to go with grain free almond truffle bars, homemade moose munch caramel corn, and a few more favorites…) and since many of the recipients are gluten free, I decided to go with oatmeal chocolate chip. They’re one of our favorite cookies anyway so it seemed like a safe bet. And of course it’s always easy to lighten the sweetener in the dough when it’s covered with dark chocolate – and when there are mini chocolate chips inside as well!
I’m not sure these are actual truffles, though – do you think real truffles always have chocolate centers? ‘Cookie dough balls’ just didn’t sound as nice to me and I’ve seen other chocolate-covered candies called truffles even with non-chocolate centers, so truffles it is! Whatever you call them, these will definitely satisfy your craving for both cookie dough and chocolate – and do it with slightly better-for-you ingredients.
The keys to coating these easily is freezing the dough balls first and then using a long fork to dip the cold balls into the melted chocolate. After dipping a ball, tap the fork on the edge of the container to remove the excess and then gently transfer to a parchment-lined tray. I then use the fork to add a little swirl to the tops of the balls for that candy-store look.
Pop them back in the fridge to harden and then store in airtight containers in the fridge (or freezer) until you gift them or serve them.
- ¼ c. butter, softened
- 5 Tb. maple syrup
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1 c. oat flour
- ½ c. oats
- ¾ c. mini chocolate chips
- 2 c. dark chocolate chips (or 12 oz. chopped)
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- Mix the butter, maple syrup, and vanilla in the bowl of a mixer (or by hand).
- Add the oat flour, oats, and mini chocolate chips and stir until completely mixed.
- Use a small (tablespoon sized) cookie scoop to shape the dough into balls and set on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Freeze dough balls about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt dark chocolate with coconut oil in a double boiler or in the microwave until smooth.
- Line another baking sheet with parchment and coat one cold dough ball at a time in chocolate (a fork works best for this, tapping off the excess on the side of the container) before placing them on the newly prepared sheet (you can use any leftover chocolate to make a few nut clusters with whatever nuts you have on hand)
- Refrigerate until set. Store in airtight container in the fridge for a week or freeze for longer storage.
Just wondering if serving uncooked rolled oats to toddlers is okay, or if freezing them does something to help with digestion?
Thanks! They look great and really want to try making them with my little one.
Our family has never had a problem with digesting oats in either form, Lisa, so I’ll leave that up to you to decide for your family- I think it would work if you soaked them first if you’re more comfortable with that. I’d just drain them well first. 🙂
I was glad to find these when I was looking for a dessert to add at the last minute to a meal I was delivering to a friend’s family. I didn’t have any sugar or brown sugar, so most cookies were out of the question. These turned out great and I’ll definitely be making them again to keep for ourselves! My only problem was my dough balls didn’t come out as smooth as yours; I used a cookie scoop, but mine was too large so I ended up trying to fill it halfway and then shape them with my fingers, which turned into a sticky mess. They ended up looking more like no-bake cookies, but they tasted delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh, yeah, they’re pretty sticky, Dawn. 🙂 I find that dipping my fingers/hands in water is an easy way to shape sticky things – works better than oil, I think.
Can’t wait to try! They sound delicious.
And I was trying to be so good (until I saw these)
Yummy.. might have to run into the kitchen to do 🙂
I always love your recipes!
Aw, thank you Teresa! 🙂