This Edible Cookie Dough is made using healthier ingredients such as oat flour, maple syrup and coconut oil. There are only 6 ingredients in this healthy dessert recipe!
Ingredients in edible cookie dough
Making cookie dough that's safe to eat is much easier than you think, and thanks to the healthier ingredient list below, you can ensure that you're also enjoying a gluten-free healthy snack!
Here's what you need (the full ingredient amounts are at the bottom of this post):
- coconut oil
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- salt
- oat flour (or you can use 2 cups rolled oats to make oat flour – more notes on that below)
- dark chocolate chips
How to make this recipe
- Mix coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and salt together in a large bowl.
- To make your own oat flour, see directions in the post under “Ingredient Substitutions.” Alternately, you can purchase oat flour.
- Mix oat flour with wet ingredients, adding it in batches and mixing well.
- Chill dough in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Mix in the chocolate chips, then serve and enjoy!
NOTE: To make your own oat flour, blend 2 cups of rolled oats in a blender or food processor to make 2 cups of oat flour.
I rolled the cookie dough into 20 balls— the nutritional info shown in the recipe card is per ball of dough.
Ingredient substitutions
This recipe is pretty versatile, so if you don't have the right flour or fat, you can improvise.
Making your own oat flour
If you don't have oat flour, don't worry. It's easy to make your own.
Take two cups of rolled oats and blitz them in the food processor until it's approximately the consistency of flour. Ta-da!
If it's not as fine as oat flour, it's ok. A little variation in texture will make for more interesting cookie dough!
Other flours
You can use regular flour, but it won't have the same texture, and it won't be as healthy. A spelt or whole wheat flour would add a taste similar to oat flour, and a little fibre. Make sure to heat regular or whole wheat flour for a minute or two in the microwave as it is not safe to eat raw in the same way oat flour is.
Changing the fat
If you are out of coconut oil or simply don't want to use it, try another neutral oil such as avocado. If you have a nut-based oil such as almond or hazelnut, those would work great, too.
Barring that, you can always use melted unsalted butter, or one of the many vegan butter substitutes available.
Is cookie dough safe to eat?
Yes! This is because you won't use any raw eggs in this recipe.
The reason many people worry about the safety of eating raw cookie dough is because raw eggs carry bacteria. The danger of this involves the possibility of salmonella from eating raw eggs.
Edible cookie dough for one
Sometimes it's just you and the bowl of dough. And that's ok.
If this is the case, and you want to make less, I would reduce this recipe by half. Form the balls as usual. Eat a few, and store the rest for later.
Can you bake this edible cookie dough recipe?
This recipe does not have a leavener in it such as baking powder or baking soda. And it doesn't have any eggs. It can't be baked. If you put it in the oven, the dough balls will likely go splat and not stay together. There's just not enough structure.
If you really want to make a great cookie, try my Almond Butter Cookies, which are flourless and have just three ingredients, if you're not counting the baking soda.
This recipe is designed to be instantly edible—sort of like an energy ball, but more cookie dough in its taste.
Variations in fillings
Feel free to change up this recipe to your liking – here are some ideas below:
- Swap out semi sweet chips for cinnamon or white chocolate ones.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of your favorite nut butter, such as peanut, almond, or cashew.
- Use honey instead of maple syrup but watch out – it'll be sticky!
- Add zest of orange (great with semi-sweet chocolate) or lemon (good with white chocolate)
- Chop up a few tablespoons of walnuts, pecans, pistachios, or cashews.
Storing healthy cookie dough
Once you've formed the dough into balls, keep them in a covered container for up to three days. You don't need to refrigerate them, but I would recommend doing so if you want them to last longer (they'll last up to 30 days in the fridge).
However, if you do let them sit out on the counter, they'll stay a little softer at room temperature so they are easier to eat. In months where it's hotter and your kitchen gets warmer, I would recommend storing in the fridge to ensure the chocolate chips don't melt.
Freezing this recipe
You can freeze cookie dough of any kind. I'd recommend scooping the dough out into individual balls, putting them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with wax paper, and then freezing them.
Once they're frozen, transfer to a zip top freezer safe bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature in the bag when you want to eat them.
TIP: If the dough seems a little dry or crumbly when it comes to room temperature, feel free to add a tablespoon of milk—any kind will do—to add a little moisture.
More healthy dessert recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to store leftover cookie dough bites
- You can also order oat flour online
Healthy Edible Cookie Dough
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups oat flour (can use 2 cups rolled oats to make oat flour)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and salt together in a large bowl.
- If making your own oat flour, blend up 2 cups of rolled oats in a blender or food processor to make 2 cups of oat flour. Alternatively you can use store bought oat flour.
- Mix oat flour with wet ingredients, adding it in batches and mixing well. Chill dough in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Mix in chocolate chips, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Deneen says
You suggest regular flour could be used instead of oat flour, but flour is not safe to eat uncooked as it may contain E. coli. I think most people assume the raw eggs make cookie dough unsafe for consumption, but in realty the flour is not safe unless it has been pasteurized.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Deneen – yes, you can add regular flour that has been heated in the microwave for a couple of minutes; it is not safe to eat raw as you mention.
Peter says
I think one reason people might have an issue with how loose the batter is Is whether they’re measuring two cups of oats before being ground into flour or two cups of the oat flour.
Two cups of oats will make less than two cups of flour. I ground up 2 and a quarter cups of oats and that seemed to fix the consistency of the cookie dough balls.
I made my first batch following the recipe and then substituted 1/4 cup of natural peanut butter for the coconut oil. Heating that up for a few seconds in the microwave made it easier to stir in the oat flour. I still needed to add a few tablespoons of milk. Both variations are delicious!
Melissa says
This is soon good thank you for creating this. I did a second batch to be a bit more like a thick pudding so I just used less flour. Yummy way to curb my sweet tooth without guilt of a bunch of added sugars and preservatives.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Melissa 🙂