Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Dip
I made this recipe (minus the almond meal) a couple of weeks ago to take to a friend’s house to watch the US v. Mexico soccer match. I “tasted” too much of it while making it (and before I ate anything for dinner) and I felt SO sick from too much sweet. I had to force myself to eat some protein and veggies to balance it out and to settle my stomach. I only took half of the dip to my friend’s house because there were only 3 of us and I knew I couldn’t eat anymore of it. It was good and they liked it, but I was still not sure.
I wanted to take the other half to another friends’ house to watch the Buckeye game that weekend, but I knew I needed to make a change. It was too sweet and I wanted it to be thicker so it would seem more like cookie dough. Almond meal seemed like the perfect addition to balance out the sweetness and give it cookie dough texture. I just stirred in a little at a time until it was as thick as I wanted it to be and I was thrilled with the level of sweetness and texture at that point – just like cookie dough. It was a much bigger hit at this gathering – and I was finally able to eat it without feeling like I was going to go into sugar shock. I prefer it with gluten-free pretzels, but any dipper of your choice would work.
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 oz. cream cheese (1/3 less fat is fine, fat free is just weird)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 – 1 cup almond meal, depending on preference for thickness
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 8 oz. peanut butter cup minis or 1 1/2 cup chopped peanut butter cups
- In a small saucepan over medium heat or microwave-safe bowl, melt butter. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves, continuing to heat if needed. Add vanilla and allow mixture to cool to room temperature, sticking in the fridge if you’re short on time.
- In a large mixing bowl with a stand or hand mixer, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and peanut butter until creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Switch mixture to low and add in cooled brown sugar mixture until combined.
- Add the almond meal, starting with a half cup, adding more if you prefer a thicker “dough”. If using a hand mixer, you may need to stir in the almond meal by hand if it’s too thick.
- Fold in chocolate chips and most of the peanut butter cups, reserving a little bit to sprinkle on top. Serve immediately or store in fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy with gluten-free pretzels, animal crackers, graham snacks, apples, or whatever sounds good with it. Or eat it from a spoon if you can’t be bothered to get out a dipper. Not that I did that…
I’m not claiming that this recipe is healthy, but it’s a dessert and they can’t all be healthy! It’s perfect for a gathering and I love that it’s a no-bake recipe.