If we’re being totally honest, we’ll sometimes whip up a batch of cookies just so we can eat the raw dough—and we know we’re not the only ones. Sure, our mom told us not to do it. But, Mom, it’s just too delicious to resist. If only there was a way to have our cookie dough and eat it too, without the risk of getting sick.
Oh, but there is. Here’s how to make edible cookie dough so you can snack on your favorite nostalgic treat without worrying your mother.
You can probably already guess the answer to this question: No, raw cookie dough is not really safe to eat. There are a few risk factors, the obvious one being raw eggs. According to the FDA, fresh eggs may contain Salmonella bacteria inside or on their shells, and it’s a common source of food poisoning in the U.S.
But I’ve eaten raw eggs and never gotten sick, you say. True, the chances of getting sick from eating raw eggs are pretty slim on an egg-by-egg basis. It’s estimated that one in 20,000 eggs is internally contaminated, and modern sanitation practices require pretty rigorous cleaning of shells before those eggs even reach your store. But that doesn’t mean you’re completely home free, and certain high-risk groups should never eat raw eggs (children younger than 5, adults older than 65 and anyone with a weakened immune system). One way you can reduce the risk is by purchasing pasteurized eggs, which are treated to kill bacteria.
Even if your eggs are safe to eat, there’s one another hidden risk: flour. Flour is a raw agricultural product, which means it’s not treated or pasteurized to kill naturally occurring bacteria (like E. coli) that can contaminate the product from harvesting to processing. (Think about it: Wheat grows on farms…animals live on farms…animals poop on farms…sorry for spoiling your fun.)
But no worries, friends! The trick to enjoying a cookie dough snack without any risk of nasty food-borne illnesses is simple: Make edible cookie dough. Our recipe calls for almond flour and contains no eggs, so it’s safe to enjoy without baking. It also requires less than ten ingredients and just two steps. Here’s how to make it.
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
1½ sticks butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup granulated sugar
⅔ cup light brown sugar
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2¾ cups almond flour
¾ teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
Directions
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
2. Add the almond flour and salt; mix to combine. Add the chocolate chips and mix just until evenly incorporated.
The edible cookie dough can be served immediately or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week or frozen up to two months. (Lol, as if it will last that long.) Allergic to tree nuts? You can replace the almond flour with all-purpose flour, but you’ll have toast it in a 350°F oven for ten minutes to make it safe to eat.
Our recipe makes a classic chocolate chip cookie dough, but you can make a swaps to adjust the flavors to your liking. Need some inspiration? Here are a few variations to try:
Confetti Cookie Dough: Swap the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips; add rainbow sprinkles.
Double-Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: Add ⅓ cup cocoa powder.
Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough: Eliminate the chocolate chips; add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough: Eliminate the chocolate chips; add 1 cup raisins, 1 cup rolled oats and a pinch of ground cinnamon.
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough: Reduce butter to 1 stick; add ½ cup peanut butter.
Truthfully, you could add almost any mix-in (butterscotch chips! pistachios! M&Ms!) and it would taste delicious. It’s cookie dough, after all.
