My edible cookie dough recipe is quick, easy, and completely safe to eat (no risk from raw eggs or raw flour here!). The safest, tastiest way to eat cookie dough with tons of flavor possibilities from one base dough! Recipe includes a video tutorial.
The Safest & Easiest Way to Enjoy Raw Cookie Dough
My edible cookie dough recipe will curb all of your cookie dough cravings and spare you from the bacteria that’s in the raw stuff. We’ll be using heat treated flour and leaving out the eggs for a safe snack that tastes and feels JUST like the real thing!
I know, you’ve probably had your fair share of “unsafe” cookie dough and may be wondering, “Why the separate recipe?”. I’ve been there too–I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten more chocolate chip cookies raw than baked in my lifetime–but we all know we’re not supposed to do it.
Today I’m sharing a more responsible recipe, one that’s made to be enjoyed uncooked. Let’s get to it!
What You Need
Today’s cast of characters should be pretty similar to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, with the obvious exception of eggs. Here are a few of them:
- Butter. Using unsalted butter allows us to control the salt level in our edible cookie dough. If all you have on hand is salted, check out my post on salted vs. unsalted butter for substitution instructions.
- Sugar. Most of the sugar in this recipe is brown sugar. You can use light, dark, or a combination of the two (or make your own brown sugar!)!
- Heat treated flour. Heat treating takes just a few minutes and saves you any concerns about contracting foodborne illness from your cookie dough! I’ll show you how to do it below.
- 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 turns out dry or crumbly though, you will just need to add milk to bring it back together.
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.
Remember, 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 contain Salmonella or e. coli, neither of which we want in our food! However, according to MSU flour that is heated to 165F will eradicate these concerns. Now, MSU (and the FDA, without much elaboration) also 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:
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (this will make transferring the flour later easy).
- Measure out your flour and evenly spread it over the parchment paper.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 5-7 minutes (may need longer).
- 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.
How to Make Edible Cookie Dough
- Heat treat your flour, let it cool, then sift it (sometimes lumps form as the flour cools, sifting it will break up any clumps!).
- 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).
- Gradually add in the flour until it’s well incorporated.
- Stir in your chocolate chips or other favorite add-ins.
SAM’S TIP: Very important! Make sure you let your flour cool (it doesn’t take long!) before adding it to your other ingredients. Flour that is too hot can leave you with a melted mess.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 .
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!
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 cookie 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!
I’d love to hear about the flavor combinations you come up with, so drop me a note in the comments below 😊
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 Recipe
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
Recommended Equipment
- Baking pan
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, creamy peanut butter, colored sprinkles, broken Oreo pieces
- Enjoy!
Notes
Heat treating flour
It’s worth noting that the FDA recently said, without much elaboration, that heat treating your flour at home could still be risky (no one tell them about my gooey cinnamon rolls and hovering-on-underbaked cookies, please!). 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, but you may store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Cookie dough will firm up quite a bit in the refrigerator, so for best enjoyment let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before enjoying leftovers.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
ilovebaking
I LOVE this recipe. I tried it out and it came out perfectly! Thank you so much for making this delicious recipe. I will look forward to see more!
Kira
This cookie dough recipe is absolutely delicious. It is quick and easy to make.
Sam
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Kira! Thank you so much for trying my recipe, I appreciate it!
Kyri
for some reason my cookie dough came out runny but I followed all the steps exactly.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Kyri! Was your flour hot when you added the sugars?
Naomi
It was fine but I would not make again or recommend.
Naomi
I put it in the fridge and let it cool and got so much better I would totally recamend!!!!!!
Charlotte
My family loves this recipe!!! 🤩😁🤩
Linda Baldwin
Haven’t tried the recipe yet, but be aware that 350 degrees Fahrenheit is not 72 degrees Centigrade. It’s 180 degrees or at least that’s what we use as an equivalent as it’s actually 177 degrees.
The recipe looks very interesting.
Sam
Hi Linda! I’m so sorry for the typo. Thank you for catching it. I have fixed it. 🙂
matilda
Hi do you know how much cookie dough this recipe makes if you roll it into balls?
Sam
Hi Matilda! I do not know. It would really depend on the size of your scoop. Just keep in mind that this is not good for trying to bake into cookies. 🙂
Ray
Ok, I made this with almond flour and it tasted just like when I made it with all-purpose flour! Success!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Ray! Thank you for the feedback. 🙂
Sheila
Did you bake the almond flour?
Katie
Would there be an ingredient to add to this to make it bake well? I am wanting to make some cookie dough stuffed croissants, and they are supposed to be baked with dough on top and inside, so that the end result is a baked layer of cookie on top, and gooey partially baked dough on the inside. I’ve heard that ready to eat dough doesn’t bake very well without the leavening agents, so I was wondering if just adding baking powder or soda would help. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Katie! Unfortunately this wasn’t designed to be baked so without some alterations I don’t think it’s going to work well. Maybe someone else that has tried can chime in with some help.
Ray
Is it possible to use gluten-free flour for this recipe?
Sam
Hi Ray! I haven’t tried it, but I think that should work here. 🙂
Jen
This recipe is delicious! Do you have a recommendation to make the cookie dough stored in the refrigerator more scoopable? I was thinking corn syrup, but would I then need to adjust the amount of sugar? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Jen! You could add corn syrup but it’s still going to firm up a bit. The best solution is to really let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before trying to scoop it.
Danielle
Hi! I love this recipe! I’ve been using it for my cookie dough brownies, I just spread a layer on top after they’re baked! I have a ton of these to make next week and I want to get ahead.. can I make a bunch this week and freeze? My gut says yes but wanted to see if you ever done it. Thank you!
Sam
Hi Danielle! This should freeze without any issues. 🙂
Arielle
Have not tried it out yet but, if I am using 1/2 cups of flour should I shorten the baking time?
Ashley Kinsman
This is amazing! My go to treat, I could seriously eat this every single day!
I very unhealthily use margarine from time to time for this to make it much creamier and it doesn’t get so thick when cold.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy it so much, Ashley! 🙂
ANNA
Well, thank YOU. I didn’t knew I was a cookie dough addict. NOW I know. And that really often 😉
madina walden
absolutly delicious and so fun to make while hanging out with my friends.
ForEsme
Thanks for such a simple and straightforward recipe! Also appreciate that you explained how to heat-treat flour. Plus it’s so delicious. Yes, it’s grainy, but that’s what raw sugar is like – just let it melt on your tongue first if it bothers you 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Jen
Great recipe. I made it with my kids and we all enjoyed. Tasty and super safe to eat. 5 stars. I have made several recipes from here and all have been great. This is a keeper!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jen! 🙂
erica
I love this it is so easy to find recipes
Ray
Insanely addictive! So delicious! It was so easy and fun to make!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Ray! 🙂
Andres
would this work well with room temp brown butter?
Sam
While I think it should work sometimes when I make a dough with brown butter the dough becomes a little crumbly, but I’m sure it will still taste amazing. 🙂
Lucy
Hi,
If I heat treat the flour the night before, is it still good to use the next day?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Lucy! Yes it is. Enjoy! 🙂