This edible cookie dough is gluten free and can easily be made vegan too. It's made for eating raw, topping other desserts, mixing into your favorite ice cream or anything else!

The best part of making cookies? For many of us, it's sneaking a spoonful of dough before it ever sees the oven. 

But here's the thing, raw cookie dough made with raw eggs and raw flour isn't exactly the safest snack. Those ingredients can carry harmful bacteria like E. coli, and nobody wants their cookie dough cravings ending in regret.

That's why I'm sharing my easy edible cookie dough recipe, a safe edible cookie dough you can enjoy straight from the bowl, rolled into cookie dough balls, or swirled into some chocolate chip ice cream. 

We're swapping the flour for finely ground oats (no heat-treat flour step needed) and skipping the eggs entirely, so it's just pure, sweet, buttery dough ready to eat.

Ingredients Needed

We're keeping this one simple. You will need some favorite cookie ingredients that you probably already have:

• Rolled oats:  Ground into oat flour to replace raw flour. Rolled oats are already heat treated. Store bought oat flour may not be treated so this recipe calls for grinding your own oat flour.
  
• Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and chew. You can use dark brown sugar if you want a deeper molasses flavor.
  
• Unsalted butter: Softened to room temperature for easy mixing. Softened butter should leave a small imprint when pushed with your finger and not feel cold.
  
• Milk: Any kind works, including non-dairy vegan options such as oat, soy or almond milk.
  
• Light corn syrup: Optional if you're eating the dough as-is, but essential for keeping it soft if you plan to mix it into ice cream.
  
• Pure vanilla extract: Do not skip the vanilla! It's an essential flavor for chocolate chip cookies.  Only use pure extract for the best flavor.
  
• Salt: Balances the sweetness.
  
• Mini chocolate chips: Perfect size for snacking and easier to bite into when frozen.

How to Make Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Here's the truth: the most time-consuming part of this recipe is prepping the oat flour. Once that's done, the rest is easy peasy.

Start by grinding rolled oats in a food processor until finely ground. (About two minutes should do it.) Then sift through a fine mesh strainer to remove the larger bits. You'll need about 1⅓ cups of oat flour for this recipe, so keep processing the larger pieces and sifting until you have enough. 

For reference, it took me about three rounds. Because of the quantity, it's difficult for the food processor to grind every bit. That's why we grind extra volume. The larger leftover pieces can be saved for overnight oats, smoothies, or granola.

Once your flour's ready, the rest is quick. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat together the unsalted butter, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, light corn syrup, and salt until smooth.

Slowly mix in the oat flour. If your dough feels too stiff, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until it's just right. 

Stir in the mini chocolate chips and chill for 30-45 minutes. You can absolutely sneak a spoonful of dough right away (cookie dough lovers everywhere approve), but chilling makes it even better.

Serving Ideas

• Roll into tiny balls for snackable bites or cookie dough bites for ice cream.
• Make cookie dough brownies! Spread it on top for a cookie dough frosting moment.
• Stir in different flavors: sprinkles, caramel bits, or dark chocolate chips.

Storage

Pop your dough into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to a month. Just thaw overnight in the fridge before digging in.

You can also scoop into balls and then freeze for single serving size portions. For more details on freezing any kind of cookie dough, read my post on How to Freeze Cookie Dough.

Extra Tips

• If you ever use wheat flour instead of oats, heat-treat flour ahead of time by baking it on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350°F for 5-7 minutes to kill any dangerous bacteria.
  
• Rolled oats are already heat-treated during processing, but store-bought oat flour may not be. While old-fashioned rolled oats are generally safe to eat raw, Bob's Red Mill notes there's still a slight risk of indigestion if you have a sensitive stomach.
  
• This is eggless cookie dough and is meant to be eaten raw. Because there are no eggs or leavening agents like baking soda, it will not bake well. For a gluten free oat chocolate chip cookie recipe, check my post on Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies.
  
• Chill small balls of dough on a baking tray before adding them to ice cream so they keep their shape.
  
• Use this base dough to make different flavors: peanut butter, mint, mocha, or even cookie dough with your favorite mix-ins.