The Best Edible Cookie Dough

How to make the best edible cookie dough plus five delicious variations including chocolate chip cookie dough, double chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal cookie, and snickerdoodle (cinnamon sugar cookie dough).

The Ultimate Guide to Edible Cookie Dough

This ultimate guide will help you make the most delicious edible (and safe) cookie dough. All five flavors store well in the refrigerator and can be frozen. You can also bake them! See all our tips below.

How to Make the Best Edible Cookie Dough

Edible cookie dough is simple to make. It’s very similar to baked cookies. Start by beating butter and sugar together until fluffy, light, and creamy. Then add in dry ingredients like flour and mix until a dough forms. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer. If you don’t have a mixer, you can make the dough by hand. The texture won’t be as fluffy, but it will still taste great.

How to Make the Best Edible Cookie Dough

Our cookie dough is eggless. For the basic recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

  • Flour — We use all-purpose flour, but a gluten-free blend should also work. For safety reasons, use heat-treated flour in the recipe. Heat treating flour is easy to do, we’ve shared how below.
  • Unsalted Butter — The butter adds flavor and moisture to the cookie dough. You can use salted butter and leave out the salt added later on in the recipe. For vegan cookie dough, use non-dairy butter or try coconut oil.
  • Baking soda — Even though this cookie dough can be enjoyed raw (unbaked), by adding baking soda, it makes sure that you can bake the dough. It also adds flavor and makes it taste more like regular cookie dough. If you don’t have it on hand, you can leave baking soda out.
  • Sugar — We love the combination of granulated (white) and brown sugar. You can use one or the other. Keep in mind, though, that brown sugar will add the most flavor.
  • Milk, cream or half-and-half — Since we leave eggs out of the recipe, the dough needs a bit of extra liquid to achieve the best texture. We typically add a tablespoon or two to the dough. For a vegan version, you can use non-dairy milk.
  • Vanilla Extract — We use pure vanilla extract in our recipe, which does have alcohol content. If you are concerned about this, you can buy alcohol-free vanilla.

Secret Ingredient: The basic ingredient list above makes a delicious edible dough, but we love adding one more ingredient for flavor. A tiny bit of molasses makes the dough extra tasty and rich. We only use half a teaspoon. It’s a small amount, but wow does it make the cookie dough delicious. Since it’s such a small amount, we made it optional. (We realize not everyone wants to buy a whole jar of molasses for 1/2 teaspoon!) That said, we use molasses a lot on Inspired Taste so if you plan to stick around and make a few of our other recipes like our Guilt-Free Healthy Banana Bread, these Ginger Cookies, and our Barbecue Sauce.

Once you have the basic recipe down, you can play around to make different variations. Here are five delicious edible cookie dough flavors. They all use the basic recipe as a base:

  1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough — This takes the basic dough from above and adds chocolate chips.
  2. Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough — Add unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate chips to the basic recipe.
  3. Peanut Butter Cookie Dough — Swap a bit of the butter called for in the basic recipe with peanut butter and add crushed peanuts.
  4. Oatmeal Cookie Dough — Swap a bit of the flour called for in the basic recipe with old-fashioned rolled oats and add ground cinnamon. For oatmeal raisin cookie dough, mix in raisins.
  5. Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough — Add a bit of cream of tartar and ground cinnamon to the basic dough. Then sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top when serving. Cream of tartar tastes sour and is a common ingredient in snickerdoodle cookies. If you do not have it on hand, you can leave it out for more of a cinnamon sugar cookie dough.
How to Make the Best Edible Cookie Dough

Is Cookie Dough Safe to Eat?

Normally, the answer to this is no due to a small chance of contaminated flour and/or eggs, but thanks to our smart edible cookie dough recipe you can enjoy it without safety issues.

Based on our research, here’s what we have learned: There are two culprits that make regular raw cookie dough unsafe to eat: unpasteurized eggs and raw flour. In this recipe, we remove the eggs completely and heat treat the flour so that it is safer.

Research is still being done surrounding the safety of raw flour. There was a recall of flour in 2016. Since we are not flour safety experts, here’s what the US Department of Health and Human Services has to say about it. (No matter what recipe you follow, it’s always a good idea to check flour recalls.)

To be safe, in this recipe, we treat the flour so that it reaches a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You might also find heat treated flour for sale online. We’re hoping more flour brands do this in the future, but for now, we did see that Page House sells heat-treated all-purpose wheat flour (search for it online).

The good news is that heat treating flour at home is easy! You can do this two ways:

  1. Microwave it for a couple of minutes in a microwave-safe dish. Stir at least once during cooking. When it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit throughout, use it in the edible cookie dough recipe.
  2. Spread flour onto a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes.

Can You Bake Edible Cookie Dough?

Here’s my favorite part of the recipe, you can bake this eggless and edible cookie dough and make excellent cookies! All of the variations we shared above bake nicely. They spread a little more than usual, but to be honest, that’s not a bad thing.

The oatmeal cookie is my favorite when it’s baked. It spreads into a thin cookie that is delicious, chewy, and a little crisp.

Bake the cookie dough in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven until the bottoms and edges are light brown, about 10 minutes.

How to Store Cookie Dough

I noticed online that a lot of people were asking how to make cookie dough for just one or two people. Our recipe makes about a cup of dough, which is close to sixteen tablespoonfuls worth.

That’s too much for one person, but here’s another great thing about this recipe: you can store it in the refrigerator for up to five days and in the freezer for a month, probably more. If you freeze it, scoop the dough into balls then freeze individually. This way, you can remove them as you need them (just thaw in the refrigerator). Hooray for cookie dough for one, two or more when you need it!

How to Make the Best Edible Cookie Dough

We love baking cookies, too! Here are some of our most popular baked cookie recipes:

The Best Edible Cookie Dough

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

Edible cookie dough is simple to make. It’s very similar to baked cookies. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer. If you don’t have a mixer, you can make the dough by hand. The texture won’t be as fluffy, but it will still taste great.

Use the basic recipe as a base for all five flavors. In the case of the chocolate chip flavor, double chocolate chip flavor, and snickerdoodle flavor, the base recipe ingredient amounts stay the same. For the peanut butter flavor, you need to reduce the butter called for in the basic recipe. For the oatmeal cookie flavor, you need to reduce the flour called for in the basic recipe.

Makes about 1 cup of cookie dough (about 16 spoonfuls)

You Will Need

Basic Edible Cookie Dough

3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons milk, cream or half-and-half, or more as needed

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon molasses, optional, see notes

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Chocolate Chip Cookie Flavor

1/3 cup chocolate chips or chunks

Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Flavor

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch cocoa or regular

1/3 cup chocolate chips or chunks

Peanut Butter Cookie Flavor

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (instead of 4 tablespoons in the basic recipe)

2 tablespoons well-stirred peanut butter

1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts

Oatmeal Cookie Flavor

1/4 cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour (instead of 3/4 cup in the basic recipe)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (45 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup raisins, optional

Snickerdoodle Cookie Flavor

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar topping (2 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon)

Directions

  • Heat Treat the Flour
  • 1Microwave Instructions: Microwave the flour in a microwave-safe bowl for one minute. Remove and stir well — it will seem hard to stir at first and then will break apart. Microwave for one more minute or until the temperature reaches 165 degrees F throughout. Stir the flour very well then sift into a medium bowl.

    2Oven Instructions: Spread flour onto a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes. Sift the flour into a bowl.

  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Flavor
  • 1Beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, milk, vanilla extract, and the molasses with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then evenly sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture. Beat for 30 seconds then add the flour and mix on low speed until well incorporated. If the dough seems too thick or dry, beat in another 1/2 tablespoon of milk. Fold in the chocolate chips.

  • Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Flavor
  • 1Beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, milk, vanilla extract, and the molasses with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then evenly sprinkle the baking soda, salt, and the cocoa powder over the mixture. Beat for 30 seconds then add the flour and mix on low speed until well incorporated. If the dough seems too thick or dry, beat in another 1/2 tablespoon of milk. Fold in the chocolate chips.

  • Peanut Butter Cookie Flavor
  • 1Beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter (2 tablespoons), peanut butter, milk, vanilla extract, and the molasses with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then evenly sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture. Beat for 30 seconds then add the flour and mix on low speed until well incorporated. If the dough seems too thick or dry, beat in another 1/2 tablespoon of milk. Fold in the chopped peanuts.

  • Oatmeal Cookie Flavor
  • 1Beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, milk, vanilla extract, and the molasses with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then evenly sprinkle the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over the mixture. Beat for 30 seconds then add the 1/4 cup of flour and oats, and then mix on low speed until well incorporated. If the dough seems too thick or dry, beat in another 1/2 tablespoon of milk. Fold in the raisins (if using).

  • Snickerdoodle Cookie Flavor
  • 1Beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, milk, and the vanilla extract with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then evenly sprinkle the baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and cinnamon over the mixture. Beat for 30 seconds then add the flour and mix on low speed until well incorporated. If the dough seems too thick or dry, beat in another 1/2 tablespoon of milk. Serve sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • Molasses: A tiny bit of molasses makes the dough extra tasty and rich. We only use half a teaspoon. It’s a small amount, but wow does it make the cookie dough delicious. Since it’s such a small amount, we made it optional. (We realize not everyone wants to buy a whole jar of molasses for one teaspoon!)
  • You can store edible cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to five days and in the freezer for a month, probably more. If you freeze it, scoop the dough into balls then freeze individually. Thaw in the refrigerator for edible dough or bake from frozen for baked cookies.
  • Bake the cookie dough in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven until the bottoms and edges are light brown, about 10 minutes.
  • Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values. Calculations are based on the basic dough recipe.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size About 2 tablespoons / Calories 126 / Total Fat 5.9g / Saturated Fat 3.6g / Cholesterol 15.3g / Sodium 79.4mg / Carbohydrate 17g / Dietary Fiber 0.3g / Total Sugars 8.1g / Protein 1.4g
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
Inspired Taste Newsletter Signup
10 comments… Leave a Review
  • Sarah October 29, 2021, 1:07 am

    This is a 5 star recipe! It’s wonderful! Do you recommend we use molasses in the Snickerdoodle basic recipe also? Molasses wasn’t listed in the directions for just that version. Was that intentional or accidental? I agree the molasses added a lot to the chocolate chip version. Thank you for the advice.

    Reply
    • Joanne November 8, 2022, 1:51 pm

      Hi Sarah! Yes, we do add the molasses to the Snickerdoodle version. It is listed in the basic cookie dough recipe. For the snickerdoodle version, you would start with the basic recipe and add cream of tartar, cinnamon, and the cinnamon sugar.

      Reply
  • Sam Wasson September 7, 2021, 1:27 am

    Is the basic recipe equivalent to a sugar cookie flavor? Or do you suggest a different variant for that?

    Reply
    • Joanne September 7, 2021, 11:47 am

      The basic recipe is more similar to chocolate chip cookie dough.

      Reply
  • Wereeya Hughes March 2, 2021, 11:56 am

    Sounds yummy. I would love to make some. Thank you for the recipes and tips.

    Reply
  • Kaliah September 28, 2020, 4:49 pm

    AWESOME RECIPE!! We made the basic,chocolate chip and oatmeal!

    Reply
  • Kristine Robbins August 14, 2020, 1:33 am

    Or…make balls and dip in chocolate! Problem solved

    Reply
  • Thanos August 29, 2019, 11:52 pm

    It’s really deliciouse but i havent tasted it yet. 10 out of ten Flint lockwood. Mary berry would be impressed.

    Reply
  • Joanne July 29, 2019, 1:45 pm

    I like to press some plastic wrap or parchment paper down onto the dough before storing it in the fridge.

    Reply
  • Addie April 29, 2019, 7:53 am

    Yummy! I cannot wait to use this recipe again!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Leave a Review

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe!

 

All comments are moderated before appearing on the site. Thank you so much for waiting. First time commenting? Please review our comment guidelines. You must be at least 16 years old to post a comment. All comments are governed by our Privacy Policy & Terms.

Previous Post: Next Post: