Alert:Borrowed Blog Entry

I saw this post on someones blog as I was reading about their trip to Costa Rica. I am heading to Costa Rica myself in January and so I was curious about their trip. Anyway...blog entry was too cute and the recipe sounds pretty good too! Enjoy! - nymanzanita

Foods You Should(n't) be Eating

I have a couple really fabulous dessert recipes that are incredibly tasty (eat up!) but also incredibly bad for you (still eat up but feel guilty about how much you eat afterward). Everyone I have served them to thus far has loved them and stands in awe of my dessert making skills. And because I have one of these creations in the process in the kitchen right now, I'm going to blog about it. And I'm going to take pictures. Because I can.

Wonderfully Amazing Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Ball

Put 8 oz of cream cheese and 1/2 c butter in a bowl.

Blog while it softens. Get impatient when it doesn't soften quickly enough. Burn yourself trying something stupid you don't want to talk about. Wonder if your metal bowl is microwavable. Sigh with relief because it is.Beat the softened cream cheese and butter with your hand mixer until smooth. Think wistfully about KitchenAid mixers.

Mix in 3/4 c powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla, and 2 tbsp brown sugar. Sample the brown sugar. Remember how much you love brown sugar. Add a few sprinkles more for good measure.

Stir in 3/4 c mini chocolate chips. I've made this recipe with all kinds of chocolate chips. Mini chips, regular chocolate chips, regular sized dark chocolate chips, large chocolate chips, etc and for some reason the mini ones are just the most satisfying. So much so that I just spent 15 minutes chopping my large dark chocolate chips into small pieces. It's worth it. Try not to cut yourself if you go this route. Blood doesn't enhance the flavor of chocolate. But, if at all possible, use mini chips.Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Think wistfully about getting a better camera that takes pretty pictures of your kitchen adventures.Shape mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic and chill for another hour (I usually let mine hang out overnight).Roll the ball in chopped almonds. Think about how much you dislike the guy who lived in the house before you who let the grout get so dark and grimy that no amount of bleaching can touch it.Serve with pretzels (my favorite), chocolate graham crackers, or whatever else you fancy. Rejoice!