Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Truffles

So I can't believe it's May already and that tomorrow is Mother's Day! 2011 has been flying by.

Maybe that's because I was out of work (translation: stress-free) for a month and a half... ha!

But whatever it is, I'm pretty psyched that Spring is in full swing, Memorial Day is just around the corner, and that in general things are looking up this year.

Last Mother's Day I was admittedly pretty bummed out.

Ok, that's putting it lightly.  Truthfully, I was on the verge of totally losing it.

If you're new to my blog, my mother lost her 6-year battle with cancer in November 2009, the day Mr. Vittles and I returned from our honeymoon.  Thankfully we made it home to say goodbye but the next few months that ensued were pretty much a blur.

I made it through her birthday, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then my birthday.  I was on auto-pilot, but I was handling it no worse than could be expected.

Then Mother's Day hit me like a Mack truck.

I was a complete disaster during the weeks leading up to it.  As if I didn't think about it enough, now I was being bombarded with ads and commercials reminding me how 'Mom was always there for you!' about how I need to 'Make her feel special!' and 'Show her I care!' etc etc.

A year later, I am in a much better place.  With things like that, your mind can be your own worst enemy so I learned to make peace with my thoughts.  Now, when I think about her, my mind is on a leash - I only let it go certain places, and if it starts to stray into the negative I have to yank it back to the positive.

The positive being, I have 26 years worth of beautiful (and hilarious, and awful) memories with her that some people aren't lucky enough to have with their moms.  And I'm blessed to have a wonderful stepmother and mother-in-law who are always there for me, and with whom I can still celebrate the day.

So I know I said this last year, but I'll say it again because it's important - please tell your mom, your stepmom, your mother-in-law, your grandma, your aunt, your like-a-mom (whatever!) that you love her and she's great.

Not necessarily in those words, or in words at all in fact.  Just make her feel loved and special.  And I don't mean tomorrow, I mean as often as you can.

And... you can start with these truffles.

Hello, deliciousness!

Actions speak louder than words, my friends. What mom wouldn't love chocolate peanut butter fudge swirled with chocolate chip cookie dough??

None that I know.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there - you ladies are awesome!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Truffles

• 1/4 C. butter, softened
• 1/4 C. + 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1/2 C. flour
• 1/4 C. mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 C. sweetened condensed milk
• 3 oz. dark chocolate, chopped (or 1/3 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips)
• 1/4 C. peanut butter
  

In medium bowl, cream butter with brown sugar. Add salt, vanilla, flour, and mini chocolate chips.  Beat to combine.  Add 1/2 t. water to the mixture and mix well (you can add another 1/2 t. of water if needed).  Grabbing finger-fuls of dough, sprinkle onto bottom of greased 9” pie plate.  Set aside.

In a separate microwave-safe bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk with dark chocolate and peanut butter.  Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring after each, until mixture is melted and smooth.  Pour chocolate peanut butter fudge over cookie dough bits in pie plate, and use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly.  (It doesn’t have to be perfect, you’re going to roll everything into balls – this is just to try and get a relatively equal ratio of layers per truffle).

Cover pie plate & refrigerate 45 minutes, or until firm enough to shape into balls.  Grabbing even fingerfuls, roll the mixture into 1” balls, then placed on waxed paper-covered baking sheets or plates.  Refrigerate an additional 30-45 minutes until truffles are firm enough to handle and hold their shape.

Finish the truffles by either rolling each in unsweetened cocoa powder or dipping in a mixture of 8 oz. chocolate or vanilla bark melted with 1 T. vegetable shortening.  If dipping, decorate with sprinkles as desired. Truffles can be kept at room temperature or refrigerated.  Makes about 2 dozen.

Recipe adapted from Willow Bird Baking’s “Safe-to-Eat Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough”