Hi Everyone!
Well it’s pretty apparent that I have some kind of major sweet tooth thing going on this week. But next week, I promise to be better! Well actually I have been a good girl all week. Going to the gym, eat healthy meals and drinking lots of water. All of these sweet treats that you have seen this week, were all made last weekend!! It all started when I got chocolate covered almonds from Trader Joe’s. I ate way to many! I actually threw them out because I couldn’t stop eating them. Ever since then I was on a major sweet train all last weekend, but not anymore! I told myself that Monday is a new day and a new week, meaning I’m going to eat better! You’ll see those recipes next week. 🙂 So let’s finish the week off on a healthy indulgence!
These are my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites. Oh man are they good, so darn good that I am glad that I didn’t make these for me. These little bits have it all going on, sweet and salty, crunchy and chocolaty. I made these little bites for the girls at work. They kept talking about a recipe that they saw for raw cookie dough. You know the one with butter, sugar, flour, chocolate chips and high calories and fat! I told them, just wait, let me make you some of my chocolate chip cookie dough balls before they start making that other recipe. I told them mine is healthy and natural. They said fine, but kind of had a whatever look on their face. See they don’t worry about sugar and calories like I do. But I want my friends to be around for a long time, so if I can teach them that they can still have sweet treats without the calories, then I shall do so! 🙂
I was originally going to make my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls and be done with it, then I saw a bag of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers at the grocery store and I turned around and there was a display of pretzels. Then I remembered seeing other blogger recipes of peanut butter and pretzel sandwiches and I thought, I so need to do this with my dough balls!
That was probably bad on my part but I needed to impress and step up my recipe a bit! So today’s recipe was born! I first made my cookie dough with cashews, maple syrup vanilla extract and a few other ingredients. Then I smushed them between mini pretzel twists. Here they are before they got dipped in chocolate.
I placed my smushed sandwiches in the fridge while I cleaned up m mess. I melted the dark chocolate and gave my pretzels a dip. I didn’t want to much chocolate, just a small bite. I have to say the Ghiradelli chocolate melts like a dream. It’s so creamy smooth and still tastes sweet for a dark chocolate. So good!
Placed my finished sandwiches in the refrigerator for the chocolate to set. I highly recommend storing your finished pretzel bites in the fridge so the chocolate doesn’t melt. The pretzels stay nice and crunchy and because the dough is made with cashews, they stay nice and soft. So perfect. Since I am writing this in advance I don’t know what my co-workers will think, but I am excited for them to try them. They are really so delicious!! This is a nice healthy treat and all pretty natural except for the pretzels and dark chocolate is good for you, so these little bites are a win, win!!
When I started to make them I didn’t use as much dough, but as I was making them I noticed I used more and more dough, so some of them are nice and thick. The recipe makes 40 of these lovely bites. The calories are only 74 and only contain 3 grams of sugar. I am pretty happy with these stats. Now only if I could eat just one. I ate four while making them. I know, I know, I had to test them! 🙂
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp. stevia
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp. butter extract (optional)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 3 tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour
- 3 tbsp. mini chocolate chips
- 80 mini pretzel twists
- 82 grams dark chocolate metling wafers
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a food processor add cashews and process until the consistency of peanut butter. You may have to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Add maple syrup, stevia, vanilla extract, butter extract and salt. Process until combined.
- Add cashew mixture into a bowl and stir in flour, until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Take about a teaspoon of dough and form it into a ball. Place dough ball onto a pretzel and take another pretzel and press it over the top to make a sandwich. Do this until you have used up all of the cookie dough. Place the sandwiches onto baking sheet and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes or so. I did it for 30 minutes.
- In a microwave safe dish, add chocolate and heat for 20 seconds, stir until chocolate is melted. If it's not melting, place back of the microwave and heat for 10 second intervals stirring in between intervals until chocolate is melted.
- Take the pretzel sandwiches out of the freezer and dip into the melted chocolate. Place back onto baking sheet. Do this until all the sandwiches have been dipped.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Even though these little bites were time-consuming, they were fun to make and I know that I will be making them again!! Then again, I have the tendency to lose all control when cookie dough is around. As you know it’s my weakness, that is why I do not make my Husband his weekly chocolate chip cookies. I truly have no control. You think to yourself, I’m a strong woman, I can say no, but really I can’t! It can be so hard sometimes. Why can’t I be one of those people who can eat whatever they want and not gain any weight? Sigh…
Well Guys, I am out of here! I need to fold laundry and get ready for bed! Just be sure next time you are craving cookie dough, give this recipe a try! It’s pretty healthy for you and better than dipping your hands in actual raw cookie dough!! 🙂
Have a super great weekend!
Toodles,
Jennifer
UPDATE: I took these to work and they ALL got eaten! The whole batch! Everyone couldn’t believe how good they are and even my boss, who I wouldn’t think would like treats like this, stopped by my office and he told me they are very nice and that’s a big compliment coming from him. he he I was a little disappointed because I was hoping there would be a few left when I got into work the next day! I guess I will be making these again to take to work. 🙂
One last thing! I got an e-mail from OXO and wanted to share it with you. This is awesome!!!!
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Thank you for “Baking” a Difference
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Chocolate Banana Snack Cake (One Pan)
Salted Chocolate Caramel Bars #OXO
Sriracha Chex Mix
Spritz Cookies
Oh My – I am drooling at these – what a perfect blend of sweet and salty! Awesome post- thanks for sharing – only complaint I have is i wish I was one of your co-workers the day you brought these in!
Ahhh thanks Shashi!!
I would devour these!!
Trust me I just about did! 🙂
These look outrageously addictive. My husband walked in while I was looking at this post and I practically had to wipe the drool off the floor 😉
lol! These are horribly addicting! It’s hard to eat just one! Trust me!!
Best. snack. EVER!
Yah! Thank you! 🙂
These look amazing! So glad I spotted them in the With a Blast link party!
Thank you Amy! I just love them!!
These look so easy. Perfect for a gift tin- nice change from traditional cookies.
What a great idea! I think I will make these for Christmas!! Thank you!
these look very tasty salty, sweet and chocolate all 3 great parts to delicious snack
Thanks Angie! I said it in my post, but these are really highly addicting!! I want to make them again, but fear I will eat to many of them!
just made these and they were awesomely good!
i do have a question. When you make any nut butter from scratch, does it change the nutritional value of the nut?
Hi Casey! Nope the nutritional value of the nut doesn’t change at all! Your still getting a healthy nut. I love making nut butters because you can add what you like to it to change the flavor or go all natural, which is the best! Plus I think it is so awesome to take a nut and make it into a nut butter. It amazes me that you can do that at home. Making nut butter is one of the main reasons I started blogging. I thought it was so cool to do I wanted to tell the world about it! lol Sounds weird but it’s true!
it seriously is the coolest thing! i can’t wait to try another recipe!!! your blog is awesome by the way!!!!
Ahhhhh, thank you Casey!! Keep making that homemade nut butter! 🙂
Ok…so I am on a juice fast…and your website is officially making me drool on myself! YUMMY!
Jessica stopping by from http://www.sparklesandglue.com
Good for you for being on a juice fast. I need to do that and I plan too, but then I start cooking and I have no control. It’s so hard when you have to cook for your family.
Any hints how to make these without cashews? Substitutions? My son is allergic to nuts.
You could make traditional chocolate chip cookie dough, just omit the egg and baking soda, mix it up and squish between two pretzels! That would be good!
These look amazing!!! I am absolutely making them this week! I have 2 cups of random nuts – walnuts, almonds, peanuts, etc, and of course I have peanut butter… would those work well instead of cashews?
I really like the pretzel cookies. These would be great for kids to make. Thx
Thank you Pat! This is one of my favorite indulgences! It is simply amazing! Enjoy!
Hi Jennifer! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Do you think almond flour will work instead of the whole wheat flour? thanks
Hi Rachael, Sorry for the delay in commenting back, yes I think almond flour will work out great! 🙂
ok great! I will make these this weekend then, Love little bites like these to soothe my pb and choc cravings! =p Thanks!
I think you will love these little bites! It’s one of my favorites! Matter in fact I made them again about a month ago! I simply love them and I hope you do too! Let me know how they turn out for you!
I just found this and am dying to make them, but I wonder what would be the best gluten free sub for the whole wheat flour. I’m guessing a generic all purpose gf blend? Or maybe coconut flour?
Hi Cynthia, Yes, I would think GF flour or coconut flour should work out great for this recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as my friends and co-workers do. It’s s such a great treat!