The Best Edible Cookie Dough

This edible cookie dough recipe makes a deliciously creamy and sweet dough. The recipe is completely eggless and it requires the flour to be heat treated, making it completely safe to eat. It’s guaranteed to leave you wishing for more!

I enjoy having a stash of homemade cookie dough in my freezer at all times. It allows me to make fresh baked cookies for guests or to quench late-night cravings.

However, recently all of that cookie dough has ended up in my mouth before it makes its way to the oven (whoops). So, if I’m going to give in to the temptation to eat raw cookie dough, I might as well make some that is safe to eat!

Not only is this cookie dough safe to eat, but it is quick and easy to make. It also requires minimal ingredients and only one bowl. Yay for easy clean-up!

I hope you find this recipe to be a delight in your home, as I have found it to be in mine!

What makes edible cookie dough safe to eat?

Raw cookie dough is not considered safe to eat. (However, I’m sure that we could all be found guilty of licking out a bowl of raw dough once or twice.)

Raw dough poses a risk of containing harmful germs. These germs are most commonly found in raw eggs and raw flour.

Raw eggs are known for potentially carrying Salmonella, while raw flour may contain E. coli. Both Salmonella and E. coli are known for causing food poisoning. You can follow this link here to find out more information about the risk of eating raw dough according to the CDC.

This cookie dough recipe replaces the eggs with milk and requires the flour to be heat treated. Heat treating the flour kills off any harmful germs. Replacing the eggs with milk also takes away the danger of eating raw eggs. So, this cookie dough can be enjoyed with complete peace of mind.

How do you heat treat flour?

Raw, uncooked flour can contain harmful germs, such as E. coli. Flour must be heat treated to a temperature of 160* F before eating raw in order to kill off these harmful germs.

Heat treating flour is quick and easy. Flour can be heat treated two different ways- in the oven or in the microwave. If your flour is heat treated too much it may turn brown and taste burnt. If this happens, throw the flour away and try again. See below for the complete instructions on how to heat treat flour:

Oven:

Preheat your oven to 350* F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the flour in a thin layer across the baking sheet (making sure all clumps are broken up). Bake the flour for approximately 5 minutes, or until the temperature of the flour reaches 160* F. Allow the flour to cool before using.

Microwave:

Put the flour in a large, heat-proof bowl. Microwave the flour in 30-second intervals. Make sure to stir the flour in between each interval to break up any hot spots. Repeat this for a total of 2 minutes, or until the temperature of the flour reaches 160* F. Allow the flour to cool before using.

Can you bake edible cookie dough?

I do not recommend baking edible cookie dough. It is important for cookie dough to have some sort of leavening agent (typically baking soda) and eggs. The leavening agent allows the cookies to rise and puff up.

This cookie dough does not call for any sort of leavening agent since it’s not intended to be baked. So, baking this cookie dough will leave you with a very dense and flat cookie.

If you are looking to have fresh baked cookies on hand at all times, I would recommend mixing up real cookie dough, forming it into balls, and freezing it. Then, when you want a cookie you simply need to place your frozen dough on a baking sheet and increase the baking time by 2 minutes.

I love doing this because it allows me to serve warm and fresh cookies in a short amount of time, making it the perfect last-minute treat!

Can I use alternative ingredients in this recipe?

You can certainly swap out a few ingredients in this recipe and still end up with a delicious edible cookie dough! Here are some ingredients that could be swapped:

• Granulated sugar: feel free to swap granulated sugar out with pure cane sugar. Just note that pure cane sugar tends to be more coarse than granulated sugar, so your dough may end up a little grainy (although still delicious!).
• Flour: an alternative flour may be used, however all purpose flour will allow the flavors of the dough to shine the best.
• Milk: if you cannot eat dairy (or prefer not to), you may switch out the milk for a substitute. However, because this is a sweet dessert/treat I would recommend using a sweater milk alternative (such as almond milk, to compliment the flavors of the dough.
• Chocolate chips: have fun with this recipe and swap out the chocolate chips for just about anything! Here are a few fun ideas: M & M’s, Reece’s Pieces, mini chocolate chips, etc.

How should edible cookie dough be stored?

The cookie dough can be formed into balls before storing it, which will make it easier to eat.

The other option is to store the cookie dough in one big lump. This method is quicker if you don’t have the time to shape the cookie dough.

I enjoy putting this cookie dough in a mason a jar to avoid storing it in plastics, but it can be stored in any container or Ziploc bag.

This edible cookie dough contains uncooked milk, so it must be kept in the refrigerator or freezer. It can be stored in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months!

Tips and tricks

I have found that the best edible cookie dough has been given a chance to sit and chill before eating. So, I recommend allowing the dough chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes before enjoying. The resting time gives the dough a creamier texture and enhanced flavors- making it even more enjoyable to eat!