Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pops

Have you seen the cake pops on Bakerella? They are very creative and look delicious but the only problem is that I am not really a cake person. I would much rather eat the batter. I feel the same way about cookies. Its not that I do not like cookies, but I would much rather chow down on the dough. While I was browsing Baked Perfection, I came across her cookie dough pops. Clearly, I am not afraid of eating raw eggs, but for those of you who are, this is a great alternative so you can still enjoy cookie dough without the fear of eating raw eggs. 


Tonight, I decided to give these pops a try. They were DELICIOUS! I will tell you that if you eat the dough before you cool it in the fridge or freezer, you might not think they will not turn out like the cookie dough that you are used to eating. But once you eat the final product, you will not be sorry that you made them. There are other types of cookie dough pops on Baked Perfection but because I love the peanut butter-chocolate combo, I could not resist this variation.


There are a couple of tips that I learned while making these that I will share throughout the directions. Hopefully with my tips, you won't need to do a practice round before you give them as a gift or make them for a party. My only complaint about these for parties and such is that they are best when served cold and should be stored in the refrigerator. If you are bringing them to a party, try to keep them in the fridge for as long as you can before serving.


This recipe will make about 10-15 pops (depending on how big you make them).


Ingredients
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature chocolate chips (if you do not have miniature chocolate chips, just do a rough chop on the ones that you have)
Popsicle sticks (can be found at Michael's in the baking section)
Milk or dark chocolate candy melts (can be found at Michael's in the baking section)


Directions
1. In a large bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until well blended (the mixture will get lighter, the more you cream it together). 
2. Combine the flour and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Mix in chocolate chips. 
3. Roll the mixture into quarter size balls and place the popsicle stick into the ball (be careful to make sure that the sticks are placed tightly in the balls so when you dip them, the cookie dough balls will not fall off the popsicle sticks). Lay on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Chill for several hours or freeze for 15-20 minutes until firm (The colder the better because the hot chocolate will quickly warm them up. If they get too warm, they will break in the chocolate).
4. Melt candy melts in the microwave per directions on package (30 sec intervals, stirring in between each interval) or on a double broiler (Do not be afraid to melt tons of chocolate. The more you melt, the easier it will be to dip them. If you have extra melted chocolate, pour it into a cupcake liner that is placed in a muffin tin until it hardens back up. You can re-melt this chocolate at a later date if you store it in an air tight container or zip lock bag).
5. Remove a couple cookie dough balls from the refrigerator. Gently dip the cookie dough balls in the candy coating, one at a time, using the popsicle stick (use a spatula to move more chocolate onto the dough balls if needed). 
6. Tap of the extra on the side of a bowl (this makes it so the chocolate coating is not too thick). Place on wax paper to dry.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all of the balls are dipped (if you take them all out of the refrigerator or freezer at once, they will become much more difficult to dip and you will run the risk of the cookie dough balls falling apart in your chocolate).
7. Once dried, place back in the fridge to completely firm up and remain cool (just like normal cookie dough). Store in the fridge.


Note: These are great ideas for gifts if you put them in cellophane bags with a ribbon on them upside down, stuck in a block of styrofoam with bows on the sticks facing upright, or just placed in a mini cupcake liner facing upside down with a bow on the stick.