It’s no secret that I am a huge cookie dough fan. As a child, I loved nothing more than eating cookie dough straight from the bowl. My best friend Allison and I used to buy those pre-made Pillsbury cookie dough packages and split the package for a snack. Totally normal. If you asked me what my favourite dessert was as a child, I probably would’ve told you cookie dough!

I also have the odd suspicion that I have told this exact story on the blog before. I may be senile…don’t hate.

Here are some of my favourite cookie dough inspired recipes:

• Cookie Dough Freezer Fudge
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Glazed Steel Cut Oatmeal
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Glazed Doughnuts
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwiches

 

Given this obsession, I’m not quite sure why it took me so long to make chocolate chip cookie dough dip. As I’m sure many of you have seen, cookie dough dip has gone viral around the blogosphere (I hate myself for typing blogosphere…) thanks in large part to Jessica and Katie’s versions. I thought I would put my own spin on things by making a vegan, gluten-free, bean-free, and soy-free chocolate cookie dough dip. That means no tofu, no chickpeas, no navy beans, no vegan cream cheeze, etc.

In my typical fashion, I decided to use a vegetable. Potatoes to be exact.

Why not, right?

It all started when I got lazy and used my food processor because I didn’t want to manually mash potatoes. Nothing unusual here. The processor worked so well at whipping my potatoes, I ended up making a cheezy fondue dip (see my instagram account for the pic). I thought to myself, “Potatoes would also make a killer base for a cookie dough dip.” Weird, I know, but the texture just screamed silky, sweet dip. With just 5 ingredients I was able to make a dip that gives cookie dough a run for its money.

My best tip for recipe success is to use hot, cooked potatoes (not cold), as the heat will literally melt the potato as it whips in the processor, creating a super silky texture. I tried one version using leftover cold potatoes and the result was fluffy mashed potatoes. Not what we’re shooting for here! Make sure you use steaming hot potatoes and you will be fine. Just be sure to chill the dip before adding in the chocolate chips. The dip tastes best chilled, although I had no problem shoving it into my mouth warm either.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Pota’Dough Dip

At first glance, you’d never guess that potatoes make up the base of this healthy, yet extremely decadent tasting, cookie dough dip! Cooked potatoes are pureed to create a silky, creamy, and luxurious dip, naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Cashew nut butter, vanilla, and fine grain sea salt enhance the cookie dough flavour, all topped off with dark chocolate chips. Make sure you use piping hot, freshly cooked potatoes for the silkiest dip texture. Cold, leftover potatoes result in a fluffy mashed potato texture which I did not care for in the slightest. Keep in mind that you will be able to detect the potato flavour slightly (less so when chilled), but we didn’t seem to mind one bit.

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Inspired by: Jessica and Katie.

Yield: 1 & 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp

Ingredients:

• 240 grams yellow-skinned cooked potatoes, peeled (approx. 1 & 1/3 cups cooked potato)
• 6-7 tbsp pure maple syrup*, or to taste
• 3 tbsp cashew nut butter*
• 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
• 1/4-1/3 cups dark chocolate chips

 

1. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Cook the potatoes in a pot of water on the stove-top until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.

2. In a food processor, immediately add the cooked potatoes (still hot), nut butter, vanilla, and maple syrup. Do not use cold potatoes or the texture will be like mashed potatoes instead of a silky dip. Process until smooth for at least a couple minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Make sure no clumps remain. You want it super smooth. Adjust sweetness if necessary and add salt to taste.

3. Place mixture in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes (preferably an hour) to chill and then stir in the chocolate chips just before serving. Serve the dip with graham crackers, fresh fruit, cookies, cinnamon sugar pita chips, or my favourite way, a spoon.

Nutritional info (per tablespoon, makes 25 tbsp, using 1/3 cup chips): 32 cals, 1 gram fat (0 sat fat), 45 grams sodium, 6 grams carbs, 0 grams fibre, 3 grams sugar, 1 gram protein.

Tips and Substitution questions: This recipe tastes best without any ingredient subs. Changing the ingredients may result in a reduced cookie dough flavour or strange texture. 1) I used yellow-skinned potatoes, however white skinned potatoes might also work. I’ve been told sweet potatoes result in a “sweet potato pie” taste and strange texture. I also don’t suggest using red or baking potatoes. 2) You may want more or less sweetener than I used depending on your taste buds. Adjust to taste. I don’t suggest swapping out the sweetener with honey as a reader said it didn’t produce a great flavour. 3) For gluten-free, be sure to check all your labels to ensure they are certified GF.

 

I can’t emphasize enough that you need to use hot, freshly-cooked potatoes in this recipe for the best texture. When my potatoes were finished cooking, I drained them and then immediately placed the potatoes along with the cashew butter, maple syrup, and vanilla into the processor. I really didn’t think this idea was going to work.

I processed it for a couple minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl a few times. You want to make sure you get all the clumps out!

Well, I’ll be darned. It worked.

I placed the dip into a bowl and chilled it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes (remember the potatoes make the dip warm). When the dip is cold, stir in the chocolate chips just before serving.

Creamy, silky goodness.

After making this dip, I proceeded to make a few other versions…and I already have plans to try this with some of my favourite savoury dips. It’s so fun to play around with!

Here’s another idea…you can stuff strawberries with the dip and sprinkle them with crushed graham crackers. Easy finger food.

Who knew potatoes could look and taste so good?