10 Safe-to-Eat Cookie-Dough Recipes Because Dammit, You Deserve This

Now you can enjoy that spoonful of cookie dough worry-free.

Whenever you make a fresh batch of cookies, it can be more than a little tempting to sneak a spoonful of the dough. But due to the health risks involved, eating raw cookie dough is ill-advised. Olivia Hops, the founder of online dessert shop Unbaked: A Cookie Dough Bar, however, has created a way to enjoy cookie dough safely. In her new book The Edible Cookie Dough Cookbook, Olivia shares some of her recipes so you can make and eat raw cookie dough at home.

Before you do anything: Heat-treat your flour

It’s a must to ensure your dough is safe to eat. I’ll walk you through the steps below. It’s a simple process and takes only minutes to do. You can heat-treat your flour ahead of time; just be sure to store it in a clean container, separately from raw flour.

Materials needed:
Flour
2 microwave-safe bowls
Microwave
Spoon
Candy thermometer
Sifter

1. Measure out the amount of flour needed for the recipe you wish to make, and place it in one of your microwave-safe bowls.
2. Place the bowl into the microwave and heat for 30 seconds on high. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir the flour. It will clump together, but that’s OK. Heat the flour for two additional 30-second intervals, stirring in between each interval.
3. After heating the flour for a total of 1½ minutes, place the candy thermometer into the center of the flour. The temperature should read above 160F.
4. Place the sifter over the other bowl and sift the flour into it until no more lumps remain. Make sure the bowl is big enough that you can stir your flour in it without making a mess.
5. Allow the flour to cool completely before using it in your chosen edible cookie-dough recipe.

Note : If you don’t have a thermometer, no worries. Heating the flour for 1½ minutes is more than enough to kill any possible bacteria. If you place your finger into the center of the flour, it should be hot enough that you can’t keep your finger there for more than a few seconds.

Birthday Cake Cookie Dough

This is the flavor that inspired it all! As I ate my cake-batter-flavored ice cream when I first had the idea for Unbaked, I knew I wanted birthday cake to be a main flavor. I set out to create a recipe that tastes just like that ice cream and just like the real stuff. I truly think I accomplished that. This is the perfect flavor to serve at birthday parties, and it can be easily doubled for large parties. You can also swap out the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour, and the regular cake mix for a gluten-free version.

SERVES: 6- 8

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heat-treated all-purpose flour
1 cup boxed yellow-cake mix
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup rainbow sprinkles

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. It should take about 30 seconds on high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when done.
2. Add the vanilla and mix on low until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cake mix, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low. Mix until the flour has been fully incorporated.
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the rainbow sprinkles by hand.
5. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for 2 weeks at room temperature, 1 month in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.

Unicorn Cookie Dough

For a fancy touch, add some edible gold glitter to the top of the dough.

Photo: Leslie Grow

This unicorn dough is super fun and full of bright colors. The flavor of the dough is creamy vanilla and sweet strawberry. It’s perfect for a birthday party or other celebration. It’s also a great dough to let the kiddos help you with. They’ll have a blast coloring each of the doughs and adding the “sparkly” sprinkles.

SERVES: 6-8

1 1⁄4 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heat-treated all-purpose flour
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup strawberry-cake mix
1 cup white-cake mix
1⁄4 teaspoon blue food coloring
1⁄4 teaspoon yellow food coloring
1⁄4 teaspoon purple food coloring
1⁄4 teaspoon hot-pink food coloring
2 tablespoons hot-pink sanding sugar

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. It should take about 30 seconds on high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when done.
2. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low until the flour is fully incorporated.
4. Separate 1⁄2 cup of the dough into a medium bowl. Add the strawberry-cake mix and mix until combined.
5. Back in the mixer bowl, add the white-cake mix and mix until combined.
6. Separate the white cake dough into three equal parts in separate small bowls. Add the blue, yellow, and purple food coloring to each of the doughs, one color in each bowl, and mix until fully incorporated.
7. Add the hot pink food coloring to the strawberry dough and mix. Add the sanding sugar to the strawberry dough and mix.
8. Transfer all of the four colored dough to a large bowl. Gently swirl the colors together by hand to form a colorful rainbow dough. Be sure not to over mix at this point, or you’ll end up with a dough that is all one color: muddy. Not pretty!
9. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for 2 weeks at room temperature, 1 month in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.

Cannoli Cookie Dough

If you want to create some cannoli-ception, fill cannoli shells with this.

Photo: Leslie Grow

Whenever I think about cannoli, I think of my aunt Janet. She’s a hoot, and when I was visiting New York City with my mom for the first time, she drove up from Philadelphia to see us. We went to Little Italy just so she could find a cannoli shop. Well, she did, and she just about wiped the entire store clean of the Italian treats. The story makes me laugh, and it’s one I will never forget. This dough is dedicated to her!

SERVES: 6-8

2 sugar ice-cream cones
3⁄4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3⁄4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
11⁄2 cups heat-treated all-purpose flour
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Place the ice-cream cones into a resealable plastic bag and seal with most of the air out of it. Using a rolling pin or another heavy kitchen utensil, smash the cones into small pieces. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and ricotta until smooth. Add the sugar and cream until light and fluffy. It should take about 30 seconds on high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when done.
3. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. If you’re using the lemon zest, add it and mix until combined.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low until the flour is fully incorporated.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips and the sugar cone pieces by hand.
6. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for 1 month in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.

Maple-Bacon Cookie Dough

If you aren’t a bacon fan, just omit it.

Photo: Leslie Grow

What can I say about this maple bacon dough other than … bacon! How could it not be good if it has bacon in it? I used imitation maple extract as opposed to real maple extract or maple syrup because I found that when using those other flavoring agents, I couldn’t get a strong enough maple flavor. But if you prefer a real maple flavor, use the real extract.

SERVES 6-8

2 strips of thick-cut maple bacon
1 cup butter
1⁄2 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon imitation-maple extract
1 3⁄4 cups heat-treated all-purpose flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon on medium heat until mildly crunchy (feel free to make it more or less crunchy to fit your liking). Once cooked, place it on paper towels to drain and cool. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. It should take about 30 seconds on high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when done.
3. Add the maple extract and mix until combined.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low until fully incorporated.
5. Cut the cooled bacon into small pieces. Fold into the dough by hand until combined.
6. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for 5 days in the refrigerator or 2 weeks in the freezer.

Note : This dough is amazing to use as a spread on toast or to put a scoop on top of pancakes or waffles for breakfast! If you want to use it as a spread, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk to thin it to your liking.

Caramel-Macchiato Cookie Dough

This would be fun to serve at a family brunch.

Photo: Leslie Grow

Eating this dough will transport you to a little coffee shop in Europe. It has the perfect balance of both strong coffee and caramel tastes. You really do get a pop of each flavor in your mouth, with the coffee coming first and the sweet caramel on the back end. Add some chocolate chips to create an even more decadent flavor pairing.

SERVES: 6-8

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1⁄2 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant-coffee powder
1 1⁄2 cups heat-treated all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup caramel pudding mix
1⁄8 teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy. It should take about 30 seconds on high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when done.
2. Add the instant-coffee powder and mix until combined.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, pudding mix, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low until the flour is fully incorporated.
4. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for 2 weeks at room temperature,1 month in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.

PB&J Cookie Dough

You can customize this dough with any of your favorite fruit flavors.

Photo: Leslie Grow

I ate so many peanut butter sandwiches as a kid at school that I burned myself out on them for a few years. Thankfully, my love for them returned, and I knew I had to create this classic pairing in a cookie-dough version. This dough will be loved by all PB&J fans. The recipe features a homemade strawberry jam, but if you prefer a different flavor of jam or jelly, just substitute it in.

HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY JAM

SERVES: 6-8

3⁄4 cup diced strawberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon powdered pectin
Pinch of salt
1 batch of Peanut-Butter Cookie Dough

1. Place the diced strawberries in a small bowl and mash them. I do this with a cocktail muddler, but a fork will do just fine if you don’t have one. When you’re done, you should have about 1⁄2 cup of mashed berries.
2. In a medium saucepan, mix the strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, pectin, and salt together. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Once it’s at a full boil, allow it to boil for 2 minutes. Then, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool, about 30 minutes. It will thicken a lot as it cools, so don’t be alarmed if the hot jam seems thin.
3. When the jam has cooled and is set, add it to the Peanut-Butter Cookie Dough. Swirl the jam throughout the dough using a spoon.
4. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for 1 month in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.

PEANUT-BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH

If you love peanut butter, you will adore this dough. It’s rich and full of peanut butter flavor. It’s also the perfect dough for anyone who doesn’t like overly-sweet desserts since the peanut butter keeps the sweetness down and adds a touch of saltiness. When whipping this dough up, do just that: Whip it. Make sure the peanut butter and sugars are whipped until very light and fluffy. It makes all the difference. If you are a fan of crunchy peanut butter, feel free to use that instead of creamy peanut butter for texture.

SERVES: 6-8

1⁄2 cup creamy peanut butter
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3⁄4 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heat-treated all-purpose flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the peanut butter, butter, and the sugars together until light and fluffy. It should take about 30 seconds on high. The color of the mixture should lighten significantly after whipping. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when done.
2. Add the vanilla and mix on low until combined.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the peanut-butter mixture, mixing on low until fully incorporated.
4. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for 2 weeks at room temperature, 1 month in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.

MONSTER Cookie Dough

By combining cookie dough with your favorite candies, this treat satisfies a variety of palates.

Photo: Leslie Grow

Our MONSTER dough (yes, we always write it entirely in capital letters) is like the everything bagel. It has a little bit of everything in it to make it a dough that’s sweet, salty, and full of flavor. This is my mom’s favorite flavor and one I would never pass up either. If you don’t like any of the toppings that are listed in the recipe, just switch them for a few of your favorites.

SERVES: 6-8

1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3⁄4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heat-treated all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1⁄2 cup mini M&M’s
1⁄2 cup chopped chocolate-sandwich cookies
1⁄4 cup rainbow sprinkles

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars together until light and fluffy. It should take about 30 seconds on high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when done.
2. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low until the flour is fully incorporated.
4. Fold the chocolate chips, M&M’s, chocolate cookies, and rainbow sprinkles in by hand.
5. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for 2 weeks at room temperature, 1 month in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.

Note : If you don’t have quick-cooking oats, simply take old-fashioned oats and pulse them in a blender or food processor. This will break down the oats into smaller pieces, resembling the texture of the quick-cooking oats.

Tiramisu Cookie Dough

A delicious combo of coffee and chocolate.

Photo: Leslie Grow

The dough version of this Italian treat is extra creamy from the mascarpone cheese, and the instant coffee adds its signature strong and pleasantly bitter coffee taste. Add some big chunks of leftover ladyfingers, if you like. It will give the dough a nice textural contrast and make you feel like you’re eating real tiramisu at a fancy Italian restaurant.

SERVES: 6-8

6 ladyfingers
3⁄4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1⁄2 cup mascarpone cheese
3⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heat-treated all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant-coffee powder
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1⁄8 teaspoon salt

1. In a food processor or blender, grind the ladyfingers into very fine crumbs. Make them as fine as you can get them. You should get about ½ cup of crumbs. If you are short, grind up a few more cookies and then set them all aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and mascarpone until smooth. Add the sugar and cream until light and fluffy. It should take about 30 seconds on high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when done.
3. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Then, add the ladyfingers and mix on low until incorporated.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, instant coffee powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low until the flour is fully incorporated.
5. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for 1 month in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.

Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough

A true classic

Photo: Leslie Grow

It doesn’t get more classic than this traditional chocolate-chip cookie dough. When I created this recipe, I wanted it to taste like you were licking the bowl after making a real batch of homemade chocolate-chip cookies. In other words, I didn’t want it to be like the artificial-tasting dough you find in ice cream. Feel free to switch the type of chocolate chips you add or even to add multiple types of chips like in Unbaked’s Chocolate-Chip Madness dough (we add milk, white, and dark chocolate chips).

SERVES: 6-8

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
11⁄4 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heat-treated all-purpose flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy. It should take about 30 seconds on high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when done.
2. Add the vanilla and mix on low until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and the salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low. Mix until the flour has been fully incorporated.
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips by hand.
5. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for 2 weeks at room temperature, 1 month in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.

Cookie-Dough Ice-Cream Sandwiches

Use any of the recipes here to create the perfect cookie-dough sandwich.

Photo: The Quarto Group

These ice-cream sandwiches are anything but average. They’re like eating cookie-dough ice cream on steroids. Instead of using cookies as the sandwich part, we will be using cookie dough. You may be confused as to how exactly it can be used as the sandwich part, but don’t worry, I’ll walk you through exactly what to do. You can roll the sides of your sandwiches in toppings or even dip one side of them into melted chocolate for an even more impressive sammie!

MAKES 12 SANDWICHES

2 batches of edible cookie dough of choice
1 pint ice cream of choice

1. Line two 9 x 13-inch pans with parchment paper. If you only have one pan, that’s OK. You’ll just have to work in two batches. Place one batch of cookie dough in each pan. Using your hand and a spare piece of parchment paper, spread the dough out into an even layer in each pan. Place the pans into the freezer and allow the dough to freeze for at least 1 hour.
2. While the dough freezes, take the ice cream out of the freezer and allow it to soften. You don’t want it to be completely melted, just soft enough to be easily spread.
3. When the dough and ice cream are ready, spread the ice cream evenly over one rectangle of dough. Carefully take the other dough rectangle out of its pan and place it face down onto the ice cream, peeling off the parchment paper. Placing it face down will give you a smooth surface for the outside of your sandwich. Place the giant sandwich back into the freezer for at least 1 hour to set.
4. When you want to serve the sandwiches, cut into 12 squares and serve immediately. You can store the sandwiches in their pan covered with plastic wrap or individually wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 1 month in the freezer.

Note : If you want an extra-fun sandwich, instead of cutting them into squares, use cookie cutters to cut them into different shapes. You could use a simple circle cutter or holiday-themed cutters, like a Christmas tree or a heart for Valentine’s Day.

The Edible Cookie Dough Cookbook

The cookbook comes with 75 delicious recipes, including 55 for doughs, and 20 for special treats like cookie dough cheesecake.

Photo: Leslie Grow

© 2018 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
Text © 2018 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
Photography © 2018 Leslie Grow

Written by Olivia Hops for Working Mother and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.