There's something about cookie dough that makes even grown-ups sneak spoonfuls when nobody's looking. After years of making cookies with Emma and watching her eat more dough than actual baked cookies, I finally figured out this edible cookie dough recipe that's completely safe to eat. No raw eggs, no worries about getting sick, just pure cookie dough heaven that tastes way better than the regular stuff.
Why You'll Love This Edible Cookie Dough
This edible cookie dough recipe has saved me from countless fights with Emma about "just one more taste" when we're making cookies. You can eat as much as you want without worrying about raw eggs or getting sick. Takes about ten minutes to make, and you probably already have most of this stuff sitting around.
What's great is it actually tastes better than regular cookie dough - I'm serious. The heat-treated flour has this toasted flavor that raw flour doesn't, and since there's no eggs to mess with, you can throw in whatever you want. Emma eats it straight from the bowl with a spoon, but I've used it as dip for crackers, mixed it into ice cream, or just kept some in the fridge for when I need chocolate.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Edible Cookie Dough
- Ingredients for Edible Cookie Dough
- How To Make Edible Cookie Dough Step By Step
- Smart Swaps for Edible Cookie Dough
- Cookie Dough Variations
- Equipment For Cookie Dough
- Storage tips
- The Secret Recipe My Cousin Will Never Share
- Top Tip
- What to Serve With Edible Cookie Dough
- FAQ
- Cookie Dough Dreams Come True!
- Related
- Pairing
- Cookie Dough
Ingredients for Edible Cookie Dough
The Base:
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
The Good Stuff:
- Mini chocolate chips
- Heavy cream or milk
- Powdered sugar
Mix-In Options:
- Crushed cookies
- Chopped nuts
- Sprinkles
- Candy pieces
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Edible Cookie Dough Step By Step
Heat-Treat the Flour:
- Spread flour on baking sheet
- Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes
- Let it cool completely
- Don't skip this (seriously)
Mix the Base:
- Beat softened butter with both sugars
- Add vanilla and salt
- Mix in the cooled flour slowly
- Add cream until it looks right
Add the Fun Stuff:
- Fold in chocolate chips
- Don't beat it to death
- Taste and fix sweetness
- Add more cream if it's too thick
The Wait:
- Try not to eat it all at once
- Chill for 30 minutes (you don't have to but it's better)
- Keep in fridge up to a week
- Eat with spoon or use as dip
Smart Swaps for Edible Cookie Dough
Flour Stuff:
- All-purpose → Almond flour (use way less)
- Regular → Gluten-free flour blend
- White → Oat flour (grind oats yourself)
- Standard → Coconut flour (use even less)
Sugar Changes:
- Brown sugar → Coconut sugar
- White sugar → Maple syrup (cut back on liquid)
- Both → Honey (gets sticky though)
- Regular → Sugar-free stuff
Butter Changes:
- Regular butter → Coconut oil (solid kind)
- Dairy → Vegan butter
- Salted → Unsalted (add your own salt)
Mix-In Stuff:
- Chocolate chips → Whatever you got
- Mini chips → Chopped up chocolate bar
- Sweet → Nuts or dried fruit
- Regular → Crushed up cookies
Cookie Dough Variations
Cookie Flavors:
- Snickerdoodle with cinnamon sugar
- Birthday cake with sprinkles
- Peanut butter with chopped peanuts
- Oatmeal with raisins
Chocolate Stuff:
- Double chocolate with cocoa powder
- S'mores with crushed graham crackers
- Mint chocolate with peppermint extract
- White chocolate with dried cranberries
Seasonal Things:
- Pumpkin spice in fall
- Gingerbread with molasses
- Lemon with zest
- Strawberry with freeze-dried berries
Emma's Ideas:
- "Everything" with leftover Halloween candy
- Pizza dough (don't ask, it was gross)
- Ice cream sandwich filling
- Dip for animal crackers
Equipment For Cookie Dough
Basic Stuff:
- Big mixing bowl
- Electric mixer (or wooden spoon and strong arms)
- Measuring cups
- Baking sheet for the flour
- Rubber spatula
Emma's Helpers:
- Ice cream scoop for scooping
- Small bowls for mix-ins
- Her special tasting spoon
- Step stool to reach everything
Storage tips
Fridge Storage (1 week):
- Put it in a container with a lid
- Press plastic wrap right on top
- Stops it from getting crusty
- Emma checks on it every day (she calls it quality control)
Freezer (3 months):
- Scoop into balls first
- Freeze on a tray
- Move to freezer bags
- Thaw in fridge when you want some
Room Temperature:
- Don't leave it out more than 2 hours
- Butter gets gross
- Emma learned this when she left some on the counter
- Just put it back in the fridge
Portions:
- Ice cream scoop makes good balls
- Freeze single servings
- Good for not eating too much
- Emma thinks portion control is stupid
The Secret Recipe My Cousin Will Never Share
My cousin makes this cookie dough that's supposed to be some big family secret from his mom's side. Every time we have family stuff, he brings this and everyone loses their minds over it. For years, he'd just grin when people asked what made it so good. "Family recipe," he'd say, like he was protecting nuclear codes or something.
Well, Emma and I finally figured it out last summer when she was "helping" in the kitchen. His big secret is brown butter. He browns the butter first, lets it cool, then uses it in the dough. That nutty, burnt-sugar flavor makes everything taste like it came from some expensive place. But here's the thing - he also puts in a tiny bit of instant coffee. Not enough to taste coffee, just enough to make the chocolate taste more chocolate.
Now Emma and I make our cookie dough with brown butter every time, and still doesn't know we figured it out. Emma thinks it's funny that we "stole" his recipe. Sometimes the best family secrets aren't really secrets - they're just good ideas waiting for someone to pay attention.
Top Tip
- Don't skip heat-treating the flour, and make sure it's totally cool before you use it. I used to think this step was just being weird about germs, but it actually changes how the dough tastes and feels. Hot flour will melt your butter and turn everything into greasy soup - Emma and I learned this when we got impatient one night and tried to rush it.
- The other thing nobody tells you is that this dough gets way better after it sits in the fridge for a few hours. The flour soaks up the butter and everything kind of comes together. Emma calls it "cookie dough nap time" because she says it needs to chill just like people do. She's right - fresh-made dough is fine, but day-old dough from the fridge is crazy good.
What to Serve With Edible Cookie Dough
From hosting way too many movie nights and play dates, I've figured out what actually works for dipping in this stuff. The usual suspects are graham crackers (Emma's favorite), animal crackers that don't crumble everywhere, vanilla wafers that can handle the weight, and pretzels for people who like that sweet-salty combo. Fresh fruit works too, but you gotta be smart about it - apple slices that don't turn brown right away, good strawberries, thick banana slices, and grapes that Emma can actually eat without dropping half of them on the floor.
For parties, I put it in small bowls with different dippers around each one. You can make it fancy with a cookie dough bar setup, or just stuff it between two cookies for an instant sandwich. Emma discovered that spreading it on brownies while they're still warm is basically heaven. The main thing I've learned is don't put out anything that gets soggy fast - crackers beat chips every time, and thick fruit slices work way better than thin ones.
FAQ
What is cookie dough made out of?
Regular cookie dough has flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Our edible version skips the eggs and uses heat-treated flour so you can eat it raw without getting sick. We add cream or milk to get the right feel without eggs.
How to make cookie dough in 3 steps?
Heat your flour by baking it at 350°F for 5 minutes, then let it cool down. Mix soft butter with sugars, vanilla, and salt, then add the cooled flour. Stir in cream until it looks right, then fold in chocolate chips.
Is it better to bake cookies at 350 or 400?
Since this is edible cookie dough that you don't bake, it doesn't matter. But for regular cookies, 350°F works better for most recipes - gives them time to spread out and cook through without burning the edges.
Can you use plain flour for edible cookie dough?
Yeah, but you have to heat it first to kill germs. Spread it on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5 minutes. Let it cool completely before using or it'll melt your butter and make everything gross.
Cookie Dough Dreams Come True!
Now you know how to make edible cookie dough that's safe, tasty, and way better than sneaking bites of the regular stuff. Emma and I have probably made this recipe fifty times, and it never gets old. Whether you eat it straight from the bowl, use it as dip, or hide some in the freezer for when you need chocolate, this recipe works.
Want more sweet stuff that doesn't suck? Try our The Best Sweet Potato Brownies Recipe that tricks people into eating vegetables. Our Classic Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe is what Emma's friends always beg for at sleepovers. And when fall comes around, our Best Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe is so easy even Emma can make it by herself (with me watching, obviously).
Show off your cookie dough masterpieces by tagging us we can’t wait to see your inventive mix-ins! Drop a five-star rating and join our sweet-tooth squad!
Related
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Cookie Dough
Cookie Dough
Equipment
- 1 Baking sheet (For heat-treating flour)
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Electric mixer (Or sturdy wooden spoon)
- 1 Rubber spatula
- 1 Measuring cups & spoons
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-purpose flour - Heat-treated 350°F, 5 min, cooled
- ½ cup Brown sugar - Light or dark
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Unsalted butter - Softened
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt - Fine or flaky
- 2 tablespoon Heavy cream or milk - Adjust for desired consistency
- ¼ cup Powdered sugar
- ½ cup Mini chocolate chips - “The Good Stuff”
- — — Mix-In Options - Crushed cookies chopped nuts, sprinkles…
Instructions
- Bake flour and cool completely before mixing
- Cream butter with sugars, then stir in cooled flour and cream
- Gently incorporate chocolate chips and other mix-ins
- Refrigerate dough for at least thirty minutes
- Scoop and serve dough immediately or as desired
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