VIDEO: Secretly Healthy Cookie Dough Dip Recipe

What kid — or grownup for that matter — doesn’t want to lick the spoon after making a batch of chocolate chip cookies? While we don’t recommend that for obvious reasons (foods with raw flour and uncooked eggs are a definite no-no), this cookie dough dip is a fun treat that you eat straight from the bowl. In fact, that’s the point.

Even better, the main ingredient is actually really good for you. It’s made with a can of great Northern beans. That may sound strange but these white beans have a mild taste that easily takes on the flavor of what they’re combined with. They’re basically a blank slate. They also happen to blend nicely into a smooth, cookie-dough-like consistency. They are also great source of low-fat, plant-based protein and fiber, plus nutrients like B vitamins, potassium, iron, magnesium and others.

Served with sliced apples, this dip is excellent as after-school snack or party treat. While we don’t always advocate for hiding vegetables to get kids to eat healthy foods, our little taste-testers happily gobbled it up and didn’t even ask what was in it.

Secretly Healthy Cookie Dough Dip

(Downloadable/printable pdf of this recipe)

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

15-ounce can great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons margarine
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
4 medium apples, cored and sliced

Directions:

Place beans in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add margarine, maple syrup, vanilla and salt and blend until creamy. Scrape down sides. Pulse to ensure all ingredients are well-mixed. Add chocolate chips and pulse until just incorporated. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and chill for 2 hours. Serve with sliced apples.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 205 Calories; 6 grams Fat; 2 grams Saturated Fat; 0 mg Cholesterol; 307 mg Sodium; 33 grams Carbohydrates; 6 grams Fiber; 4 grams Protein