Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

In a few weeks I will be returning to Fox 10 for another segment. This time on homemade graham crackers. This week we are still basking in the euphoric glow of having the kids make homemade play dough on TV. They won't stop talking about it! Thanks again to the crew and hosts for making us feel welcome.

We're closing in on the end of creative kids cooking week. I wanted to share a few recipes that kids could make with no cooking, just mixing. This one came to mind. It' just sick and wrong...for all the right reasons. The first time I read the name of this recipe I knew I would either love it, or find it to be the work of some demented person who mixed chocolate with their savory cheese balls. Imagine my joy at discovering it was in fact a cheese ball that mimicked the flavor of chocolate chip cookie dough. EVIL. Pure and simple. I found the recipe in Taste of Home's magazine, from a lady named Kelly Glascock in Syracuse Missouri. Thank you Kelly.

We first made graham crackers from my recipe together. Chocolate graham crackers to be exact. Then while they baked we made the cheese ball. It happily doesn't involve any cooking...just mixing. I adapted the recipe to make it a little more healthy, as it originally contained a lot of butter and full fat cream cheese. Seemed like we could "healthify" it. We did. It was awesome.

Chocolate Chip Cheese ball

1 package low fat cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

2 T brown sugar

1/2 cup miniature semi sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup finely chopped pecan (I blanched almonds)

Ind a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Place mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap on a plate and put into the fridge. After 30 minutes, shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Just before serving, roll cheese ball in pecans or almonds. Serve with graham crackers .