4.92 from 61 votes

Edible Cookie Dough Recipe

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174 Comments

Servings: 8 servings

15 mins

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This edible cookie dough recipe is a quick, easy, and safe to eat recipe made with no eggs and no raw flour. It tastes just like classic chocolate chip cookie dough, is ready in minutes, and includes plenty of flavor variations so you can make it your own. If you’ve ever been tempted to sneak a bite of cookie dough but thought better of it, this is the safer way to enjoy it. Includes a video tutorial.

clear bowl full of scoops made from my edible cookie dough recipe

My edible cookie dough recipe will curb all of your cookie dough cravings and spare you the risks that come with traditional raw cookie dough.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably had your fair share of “unsafe” cookie dough (most of the dough from my chocolate chip cookie recipe gets eaten before it even makes it on the baking sheet 🙈), but most of us know we’re not supposed to indulge. Here’s an edible cookie dough recipe that you can enjoy without the worry.

Why This Recipe Works:

  • Heat-treated flour and no eggs. So you can feel comfortable eating this raw.
  • Tastes like real cookie dough. Because it is real cookie dough, made with the same base ingredients. Creamed butter with brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and flour deliver classic flavor while a splash of milk replaces the eggs without sacrificing texture.
  • Authentic cookie dough texture. Real cookie dough has a subtle grain due to the unmelted sugar, and we maintain that here.
  • Customizable for any edible cookie dough craving. Feel free to add peanut butter, Oreos, sprinkles or any of your favorite mix-ins to-taste to make it your own.

Ingredients

The ingredients for an edible cookie dough recipe are going to be pretty similar to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, with the obvious exception of eggs. Let’s talk about them.

Overhead view of the ingredients needed for this edible cookie dough recipe.
  • Butter. Using unsalted butter allows us to control the salt level in our edible cookie dough. If all you have on hand is salted, just reduce the salt called for to 1/4 teaspoon.
  • Sugar. Most of the sugar in this recipe is brown sugar. You can use light, dark, or a combination of the two, which is my preference. You can even make your own brown sugar.
  • Heat treated flour. Heat treating takes just a few minutes and significantly reduces risk associated with eating raw flour. It’s key to making this edible cookie dough recipe. I’ll show you how to do it below.
  • Vanilla extract. Don’t go overboard; a teaspoon is just the right amount to add depth without making the results cloying (just like with my cinnamon roll icing, I like to remind people it can actually ruin your recipe if you “measure with your heart” here).
  • Milk. You may or may not need to add milk. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times and have never needed to add milk, and if you measure your flour properly, you likely won’t need it either. If your cookie dough seems dry, crumbly, or just not smooth enough, a few splashes of milk (or cream) will fix it right up.

What you won’t find: While I tried this edible cookie dough recipe with baking powder and baking soda, they made no difference in the flavor so we skip them there.

As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Heat Treat Flour

According to the CDC, flour that is raw, or hasn’t been processed with heat may not be safe to eat. However, according to MSU flour that is heated to 165F will eradicate these concerns. Now, the FDA cautions that flour that is not properly and thoroughly heated to this temperature could still be risky, so it’s important that you understand this risk, and also that you check the temperature properly. Let’s talk about how to do this; there are two methods:

cookie sheet covered in heat-treated flour

Method One: The Oven:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (this will make transferring the flour later easy) and spread the flour in an even layer.
  2. Bake in your preheated oven for 5-7 minutes (may need longer).
  3. To ensure that the flour is safe, form it into a mound and check with an instant read thermometer to verify that the temperature is at least 165F. Give it a quick stir and check the temperature again, then do this again. Multiple checks of different sections of the flour will let you know if you’ve been successful.

Method 2: The Microwave:

  1. Place the flour in a small dish in an even layer.
  2. Heat for 30 seconds, stir, and check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer.
  3. Return to the microwave and heat in 15-second bursts until the temperature meets or exceeds 165F (always stir before testing).

Whichever method you choose, let the flour cool a bit before using.

Sam’s Tip

During the heat treating process, I found that some of the flour has the tendency to clump or bake together. To keep these clumps out of your cookie dough, run the flour through a sifter before stirring it into your edible cookie dough.

Overhead view of bowl of edible cookie dough -- chocolate chips being mixed in.
  1. Heat treat your flour, let it cool, then sift it (sometimes lumps form as the flour cools, sifting it will break up any clumps!).
  2. Beat together the butter, sugars, vanilla extract, and salt in a separate bowl until creamy and very well-combined. I do this for several minutes on high speed (it helps the sugar dissolve a bit and makes the cookie dough creamier, too).
  3. Gradually stir in the flour until it’s well incorporated.
  4. Stir in your chocolate chips or other favorite add-ins.
scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough in a clear bowl

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my cookie dough crumbly or dry?

Typically this is a result of accidentally over-measuring flour or not mixing your dough well enough. To fix this, simply add a splash of milk (any kind will work) until your dough begins to come together again and is as creamy as you’d like it to be. If you’re not using a kitchen scale, check out my post on how to measure your flour properly, it contains a few helpful hints .

Why is my cookie dough gritty?

An authentic edible cookie dough recipe should have a bit of grit-like texture to it, because the real thing does! When cookie dough is raw/un-baked, the sugars in the dough have not yet melted. Anyone who has ever swiped a fingerful of cookie dough from their mixing bowl knows there’s a texture to it that comes from the sugar. Once the dough is baked, the sugars melt, and that texture goes away.
 
If the grit bothers you, my cookie dough bites and my cookie dough frosting tend to be less gritty and more smooth (thanks to a secret ingredient!), so feel free to try those to get a smoother cookie dough fix!

Can I make this into different flavors (edible sugar cookie dough, Oreo cookie dough, etc.)?

Yes, that’s one of my favorite things with my recipe. After making the dough, feel free to experiment with your favorite mix-ins. Make peanut butter cookies dough by stirring in peanut butter (to taste). Swap out the brown sugar for granulated sugar and add sprinkles for a Funfetti cake or sugar cookie version (a sprinkling of sanding sugar on top adds a nice touch). Chopped white chocolate and salted macadamia nuts make a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie version. Get creative and have fun, it’s hard to mess up this one!

zoomed in view of cookie dough studded with chocolate chips

I’d love to hear about the flavor combinations you come up with, so drop me a note in the comments 😊

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

edible cookie dough in glass bowl with spoon
4.92 from 61 votes
A quick and easy edible cookie dough recipe! My version is made without eggs and we're heat-treating the flour so you can feel comfortable indulging. Recipe includes a how-to video tutorial.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cup (215 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups (250 g) brown sugar, tightly packed, see note
  • ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon table salt
  • 1-2 Tablespoons milk, as needed (see note¹)
  • ½ cup (85 g) semisweet chocolate chips, I recommend using a mix of mini and regular sized

Optional Mix-Ins

  • creamy peanut butter
  • colored sprinkles
  • broken Oreo pieces

Instructions 

  • Heat treat your flour (please see note): Preheat your oven to 350F (175C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread flour in an even layer over the parchment paper. Bake in center of 350F (175C) oven for 5-7 minutes. Form the flour into a mound and insert a thermometer into the center to check the temperature (it must exceed 165F/74C). Give it a quick stir, form a new mound, and check the temperature again. Do this at least once more to confirm that the flour truly exceeds 165F (74C).
    1 ¾ cup (215 g) all-purpose flour
  • Allow flour to cool completely, then run it through a sifter to break up any clumps that may have formed while heating.  Set aside.
  • In a large bowl (preferably a stand mixer), combine softened butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Use an electric mixer to cream together until very creamy and very well-combined, 1-3 minutes.
    1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 ¼ cups (250 g) brown sugar, tightly packed, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon table salt
  • Gradually add cooled, sifted flour, stirring until completely combined. If dough is too stiff after thoroughly stirring, add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
    1-2 Tablespoons milk
  • Stir in chocolate chips (and any additional add-ins you might like!)
    ½ cup (85 g) semisweet chocolate chips
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Heat treating flour — alternative method

You can microwave your flour instead of baking it. Place it in a microwave-safe bowl in an even layer. Heat for 30 seconds, stir, then heat in 15-second bursts until temperature exceeds 165F (74C). Always stir before checking the tempreature.

Heat treating flour — safety note

It’s worth noting that the FDA recently said, without much elaboration, that heat treating your flour at home could still be risky. I’m comfortable with this personally since I feel confident that my flour has reached safe temperature, but I wanted to share so you can be fully informed and please only do what you are comfortable with and consume at your own risk. 

Brown sugar

I like to use a blend of light and dark brown sugar (sometimes a bit heavier on the dark sugar), but if you only have one or the other on hand it’s completely fine to use whatever you have.

¹Milk

I’ve never needed to use milk, but if your cookie dough is too stiff/crumbly add milk as needed, one Tablespoon at a time, to reach desired consistency.

Storing

This cookie dough is best enjoyed immediately after preparing. It becomes quite firm and difficult to scoop in the fridge, so if you have leftovers, I recommend scooping them into 1 Tablespoon-sized scoops, rolling into balls, and storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You’ll have cookie dough bites at the ready! 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (does not include optional add-ins) | Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 709IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

This recipe was originally published in April of 2022, I’ve updated it to include more information and additional helpful photos. Recipe remains the same!

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Recipe Rating




174 Comments

  1. Sarah says:

    The outcome seemed to have a fairly grainy texture with flour to sugar ratio. I understand the need to cut back on the flour per a typical chocolate chip recipe since the egg is left out, but didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I’ll likely stick with my regular dough recipe, heat treat my flour, sub my eggs with applesauce and still leave out the baking soda.

    1. Sam Merritt says:

      Hi Sarah! An authentic edible cookie dough recipe should have a bit of grit-like texture to it, because the real thing does! When cookie dough is raw/un-baked, the sugars in the dough have not yet melted. Anyone who has ever swiped a fingerful of cookie dough from their mixing bowl knows there’s a texture to it that comes from the sugar. Once the dough is baked, the sugars melt, and that texture goes away.
      If the grit bothers you, my cookie dough bites and my cookie dough frosting tend to be less gritty and more smooth (thanks to a secret ingredient!), so feel free to try those to get a smoother cookie dough fix!

  2. Derek says:

    4 stars
    Easy recipe that my young daughter found and made. It was a hit! Followed directions exactly and it turned out great. Thanks for sharing.

  3. Shirley Hoffman says:

    5 stars
    Delicious! Thank you for sharing.

    1. Sam says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Shirley! 🙂

  4. Kat says:

    5 stars
    Awesome 😎

    1. Giorgi says:

      put too much milk and made it into a cake lol

    2. Stacy Green says:

      Thank you! Do you have a recipe for sugar cookie dough that is shelf stable?

      1. Sam Merritt says:

        Hi Stacy! Do you mean that the dough itself is shelf stable? Unfortunately I do not. 🙁

  5. Z says:

    Very oily and not good

    1. Sam says:

      Did you add oil to the recipe? I’m not sure how it could turn out oily.

  6. Kendra says:

    2 stars
    Meh good flavor but even with the added milk it was very dry and crumbly

    1. Sam says:

      Hi Kendra! I just want to make sure you didn’t try to bake this? If there was too much flour in the dough it can cause it to be a bit dry. 🙁

  7. Jada says:

    5 stars
    BEST COOKIE DOUGH RECIPE I HAVE EVER USED. the texture and consistency was perfect. Thank you!!!

    1. Emily @ Sugar Spun Run says:

      So glad it was a hit, Jada! Thanks for trying our recipe 🥰

  8. illianna says:

    5 stars
    great I made it during school lunch I times the recipe my 2 tho

    1. Sam says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

  9. Nomi says:

    5 stars
    Next time I make this, I think I’ll use less sugar because WOW its good but it sent me to the moon with how sweet it is. This was my first time making any kind of cookie dough and my mom did remark that it looked like there was a lot of sugar in the recipe, but it turned out well and the texture is perfect. It’s just a bit too sweet for me.

  10. Latika Ravi says:

    Tasted great

  11. Nancy says:

    5 stars
    This was great! Added more choc chips – both regular and mini 🙂
    Also used a bit less flour.
    Thanks for the great recipe!

    1. Emily @ Sugar Spun Run says:

      We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Nancy!

  12. Christy says:

    Can almond flour be used?

    1. Sam says:

      Hi Christy! That’s a great question! I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Maybe someone else can chime in with some insight, or if you do try it I would love to know how it turns out. 🙂

    2. Jennifer says:

      i just made this tonight and it’s delicious! i added peanut butter powder, and it added a whole other dimension!

      1. Emily @ Sugar Spun Run says:

        Yum, love that idea Jennifer!

  13. “D” says:

    Can this edible cookie dough be used in homemade ice cream? Trying to make cookie dough ice cream

  14. lila says:

    5 stars
    Yassssssss this was soooooo goooddd our whole family loved it so much and it was gone in a day!!

    1. Katherine says:

      If someone wanted to, is this able to be baked off, not just eat raw?

      1. Sam says:

        Hi Katherine! I don’t recommend it. The cookies won’t turn out.

  15. Azariah says:

    5 stars
    100% Delicious!!

    1. Emily @ Sugar Spun Run says:

      So glad you like it, Azariah! Enjoy 😊

      1. Chanelle says:

        Can I use this recipe and add chunks into my cake layers to make a cookie dough cake?

      2. Sam says:

        Hi Chanelle! I’m not sure how it would turn out. Let me know how it goes if you do try it. 🙂