Chocolate-Covered Cookie Dough Bunnies

If you’re someone who kind of secretly likes sneaking tastes of the raw cookie dough more than biting into the final baked cookie, this recipe if for you.

If you’re someone who is too full from having had too many “taste tests” of the cookie dough to have room for a baked cookie when it comes out of the oven, this recipe is definitely for you.

(What was that you said?  It takes one to know one? I’m not even going to try to argue with you there!)

So today, for your consideration:

Cookie Dough.

Melted Chocolate.

Strawberries.

All combined into one bite-sized treat.

Need I say more?

I guess I should say just one thing more: this is actually a healthier cookie recipe that includes some whole wheat flour, canola oil, and Greek yogurt.  So it’s a dessert you can feel a little better about eating.

Why not welcome spring with a fun, sweet treat!

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need. Begin by preparing the cookie dough.

Place all the following into a food processor: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, light brown sugar, white sugar, salt, Greek yogurt, canola oil, and vanilla extract.

Sounds a little different from a traditional cookie recipe, right?

Here are the main differences.

First, I cut out a lot of sugar.  These bunny truffles are dipped in chocolate later, so they’re still really sweet even without adding much sugar to the dough.  If you decide to try these, you’ll see – you really don’t miss it!

Also, I used Greek yogurt in place of eggs.  Meaning this gives you full rein to eat cookie dough without that little worry in the back of your mind about the tiny possibility of the raw egg making you sick.

Last, I use canola oil in place of butter.  As opposed to butter, which is full of saturated fat, canola oil is full of good-for-you omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega-3’s prevent heart disease and have been shown to help prevent cancer, stroke, and arthritis.  So why not make the switch in your cookie dough?

Pulse until everything is well-combined.

Alternative: you could also combine the ingredients in a bowl if you don’t have a food processor. I just think the food processor saves time and dishes if you do happen to have one.  Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Then the wet ingredients in another bowl.  And then add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir everything together.

Since this dough doesn’t have butter or eggs, it’s a bit more crumbly than a traditional cookie dough.

But it’s moist enough to grab heaping tablespoons of dough and form cookie-dough-balls with the palms of your hands.

After you’ve formed a ball, place it on a cutting board or a baking sheet.

Holding your fingers flat, carefully press down to create even, flat surfaces on the top and bottom of the ball.

Having those flat surfaces will be very important later, when trying to get the “bunny ear” strawberries to stick!

It seems weirdly important to me that I note that my hands are not this large!  I got my husband to demonstrate so I could snap a photo.  He’s now considering a side career as a hand model, à la George Costanza (also important for me to now say: completely kidding).

Next up: the strawberries.

I like adding strawberries for a couple of reasons.  First, why not add something healthy to your dessert? Second, what tastes better with chocolate and cookie dough than strawberries?

Cut the stems off the strawberries, making sure to create a clean, even edge.

Set the flat edge down on your cutting board and cut down to create quarter-inch slices.

Working with the center slices only, cut triangles from the outer edges.

After you’ve created a couple “bunny ears,” test them out.  Place them on top of a cookie-dough-ball.

Make sure they fit.  And keep in mind that once you dunk the bunny ears in chocolate, their size will increase a bit.

Also make sure you’ve created a flat-enough surface on the cookie-dough-balls that the ears will stand upright.

In this recipe, only small slivers of strawberries are used.  Refrigerate the unused portions to serve along with the cookie dough bunnies!

Place both the cookie-dough-balls and the bunny ears on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least an hour and a half.

Next step: the chocolate-covered part!  I use dark chocolate (rather than milk chocolate or white chocolate) because dark chocolate has higher levels of antioxidants and less sugar.  And it tastes amazing with cookie dough and strawberries!

Place some dark chocolate in a large bowl and microwave in 20-second increments until the chocolate is just melted.

Use two forks to place the first cookie-dough-ball in the chocolate.

Turn it around on all sides to cover every inch in chocolate!

Use one fork to scoop the cookie-dough-ball out and allow any excess chocolate to drain off.

Then place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Be sure one of the flat edges is still at the top when you place it on the parchment!

Repeat the same process with the strawberry “bunny ears”:

Heat up some more dark chocolate in a  separate bowl.

Important:  Don’t use the same bowl you used for the cookie-dough-balls unless you wash it first.  All of the old chocolate will burn when you try to microwave the second batch.  And this causes the chocolate to solidify – not helpful when you’re trying to dunk tiny, little pieces of strawberry.

One other note: try to get the “bunny ears” to stand upright on the parchment-lined baking sheet after dunking.  This will help ensure a smooth, even surface.

As you can see, this only works about a third of the time for me.  That’s why my recipe calls for more strawberry triangles than necessary – to allow for mistakes!

Place both the cookie-dough-balls and the bunny ears back into the fridge to allow the chocolate to harden.

Lastly, create the icing.

Use a hand mixer to combine some Neufchâtel, Greek yogurt, and white sugar.

When it’s smooth and creamy, use a toothpick to place two dabs on top of a cookie-dough ball.

Grab two bunny ears and place them on top of the icing, securing them into place.

Now use either the toothpick or a decorator bag to draw on eyes.

And a nose.

And some whiskers.

Serve along with some of the extra strawberries, and you have the perfect springtime dessert.

These are really tasty and really rich.

These little bunny truffles definitely require some time and patience.

But in the end you’ll find yourself in Cookie Dough-and-Chocolate-and-Strawberry Heaven!

Here is the complete recipe: