Dorothy Dean presents: Chocolate chip cookie dough recipe is a sweet dip

Crispy, chewy, flat or cakey – however you prefer America’s favorite cookie, we are celebrating it today with National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Recognized annually on Aug. 4, this scrumptious holiday was made possible thanks to Ruth Graves Wakefield.

In 1938, as the owner and baker at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Mass., Wakefield added chopped-up bits of a Nestlé semisweet chocolate bar into a cookie recipe, creating the distinguished chocolate chip cookie.

Originally called Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies and the size of a quarter, the cookies were a hit, becoming a household favorite to bake. This in turn spiked the sales of Nestle chocolate bars.

So, Nestle made a deal with Wakefield: In exchange for rights to include her cookie recipe on the wrapper, Nestle offered her a lifetime supply of chocolate, which she accepted. Talk about a sweet deal!

With a spin on the classic cookie, this chocolate chip recipe requires zero baking, yet plenty of dunking. However, no milk is needed. To end your confusion, we will be making chocolate chip cookie dough dip.

Rich and fluffy, it has all the familiar chocolate chip cookie flavors swirled into a no-bake dip that is made in mere minutes. A creamy mixture of cream cheese and butter includes dark brown sugar, vanilla pudding, vanilla extract and salt.

Chocolate chips are then folded in, and it’s ready to be served. Thick and delicious, it can be dunked, scooped or slathered on an assortment of goodies. Try it with graham crackers, vanilla wafers, pretzels, apple slices, strawberries and sugar cookies.

Regular or mini chocolate chips can be used. And additions like M&Ms, toffee bits, chopped-up cookies and candy bars can be added. The dip can be made in advance and refrigerated. Just let it come to room temperature before serving.

I also included a variation of the dip that is creamier and more cheesecake tasting. It swaps the dark brown sugar for light brown sugar and uses ¾ cup of powdered sugar instead of vanilla pudding.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup dark brown sugar

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (regular or mini)

Cream the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in dark brown sugar, pudding mix, vanilla extract and salt and beat until well combined. The mixture will be thick and fluffy.

Fold in the chocolate chips. Serve immediately or cover and chill until serving. For a cheesecake dip, replace the dark brown sugar with light brown sugar, and replace the vanilla pudding with ¾ cup of powdered sugar.

Audrey Alfaro can be reached at spoonandswallow@yahoo.com.