Edible sugar cookie dough is a fun and tasty sweet treat that's completely safe to eat! My edible cookie dough recipe uses heat-treated flour and has no eggs or brown sugar.
Not much tastes better than a batch of warm sugar cookies, except for the raw cookie dough. Almost everyone sneaks a bite from time to time, after all, it's creamy, sweet, and delicious!
What many people don't know is that it isn't safe to eat unbaked dough because it contains raw flour and eggs, both of which carry a risk of salmonella poisoning.
This is where my edible sugar cookie dough recipe comes in! It's perfectly safe to eat (as is edible brownie batter), and it's incredibly easy to make.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Incredibly quick to make. This recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make. It's great fix for a spur of the moment sugar craving!
- Safe to eat and fun for kids to make. This recipe uses heat treated flour and no eggs, making it totally safe to eat.
- Fun and customizable snack idea for parties. Your guests can add their favorite mix-ins to their sugar cookie dough. Set out bowls of sprinkles, chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, or even tiny pieces of candy or candy bars!
Ingredients
You only need six ingredients to make this recipe, and if you bake often, you probably already have the ingredients on hand!
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
- butter: For the best flavor, use butter with a high fat content. Generally, European butter has more fat than butter made in the United States.
- vanilla extract: The extract adds flavor to the dough.
- milk: If the consistency of the edible dough is too thick, you'll use milk to thin it a bit.
- Rainbow sprinkles: Using sprinkles is optional.
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- all-purpose flour: I prefer to use unbleached flour, but bleached all-purpose flour is fine. Actually, because the dough won't be baked, you can use other types of flour if you want to. I think almond flour and cake flour are great substitutes.
To make gluten-free cookie dough, substitute the AP flour with any cup-for-cup brand of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Two well-known brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour. - white granulated sugar: To reduce the calories of the edible cookie dough, you can swap out the regular sugar for any cup-for-cup granulated sugar substitute. Monkfruit sugar is a good option. Light brown sugar will work, but it does add a molasses flavor.
- butter: If you need or want to use salted butter, just omit the salt this recipe calls for. To make an edible vegan cookie dough, use a plant-based or dairy-free butter alternative.
- vanilla extract: If you need an alcohol-free flavoring, you can use vanilla essence, or just omit the extract.
- milk: You can use any type of dairy or non-dairy milk.
If you want some portion control, you can make Edible Cookie Dough Bites instead. If you want an actual baked sugar cookie to enjoy, try my recipes for sugar cookie bars and Funfetti cake mix cookies!
How to Make Edible Sugar Cookie Dough
This is a summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
Before doing anything else, you'll need to heat-treat and cool the flour.
Heat Treating Flour
In a Microwave
- Put the raw flour in a microwave-safe bowl, then set it in the microwave oven.
- Cook it using High power, for two 30-second intervals, stirring it between the intervals.
In the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spread flour out into a thin layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Cook for about 7 minutes, until the flour reaches a temperature of 160°F.
- To test the temperature, Use a heat-proof spoon to create a pile of the flour in the middle of the pan, then use an instant-read cooking thermometer to check the temperature.
- Let the flour cool completely before mixing it with the other ingredients.
- Cream the butter and sugar together. You want a creamy mixture that feels smooth between your fingers.
- Use a hand mixer or spoon to add salt and vanilla extract.
- Blend in the flour and sprinkles (if using).
- Add to a serving bowl with desired toppings.
Liz's Recipe Tips
- Let the heat-treated flour cool before using it. When it comes out of the oven, the flour will be hot. Let it cool off for 5-10 minutes.
- Adjust the ingredients if necessary. If the sugar cookie dough is dry or crumbly, stir in a teaspoon of milk at a time until it reaches the consistency you want. If the dough is loose or thin, add another tablespoon of flour to the dough.
- Refrigerate the dough to improve the texture. Unlike traditional cookie recipes, edible cookie dough includes sugar that won't have a chance to melt in the heat of the oven. Some people find the texture to be grainy. The easiest way to fix this is to refrigerate the dough. For some reason, the graininess isn't as noticeable when the cookie dough is cold.
Serving Suggestions
This is probably one of the most fun and interactive treats you can make!
Ice Cream Scoop: Scoop into a bowl with an ice cream scoop and serve it like an ice cream sundae. Top with even more sprinkles, crushed Oreos, or chocolate chips.
Dip! Serve edible sugar cookie dough in a bowl surrounded by sturdy cookies, crackers, or pretzels.
Cookie Sandwiches: Use this delicious dough as a filling between two cookies.
Tasty Topping Ideas
- chocolate chips of any kind. Semisweet, dark, or milk chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chips. White chocolate chips and peanut butter chips are tasty toppings for cookie dough, too.
- bite-sized candies and/or chopped up candy bars. Things like mini M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, Nerd, etc.
- fun party or holiday sprinkles. From little Valentine's Day hearts to Funfetti sprinkles, choose a sugar cookie dough topping to go with whatever event you're making it for.
- chopped up cookies. Oreos, Nutter Butters, Girl Scout cookies, etc.
- seasonal candies. Crush or chop up gummy hearts for Valentine's day cookie dough, Andes candies for St. Patrick's Day, or candy canes for a sweet Christmas treat!
Storing and Freezing
Refrigerate the sugar cookie dough in an airtight container and use it within 5 days. It will firm up in the fridge, so to make it easier to serve, scoop or divide the dough into single servings before refrigerating.
To freeze for up to 2 months, wrap the entire batch (or individual servings) in plastic wrap. Store the wrapped dough in a freezer-safe container. Check out my post, How to Freeze Cookie Dough, for other tips.
How to keep edible cookie dough soft: When placing leftovers into the fridge it is going to become hard. Chilled butter gets hard and that's what is happening with our cookie dough here.
I recommend scooping the dough into single servings before placing it in the fridge. This way you can remove the portion you want to eat, let it get soft again by coming to room temperature, then enjoy!
Edible Cookie Dough Recipe FAQ
There isn't a leavener or eggs in this edible sugar cookie dough recipe. Those are necessary ingredients to give cookies structure and cause them to rise in the oven. So, baking the edible dough isn't recommended.
Edible Sugar Cookie Dough
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons milk or plant-based substitute, as needed
- 2 tablespoons candy sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Heat treat the flour in a microwave or oven.Microwave: In a microwave-safe bowl, cook on high power for two 30-second intervals, stirring the flour after the first 30 seconds. Oven: Preheat oven to 350℉. Spread flour into a thin, even layer a large baking sheet. Bake the flour for about 7 minutes, until it reaches a temperature of 160℉. To test the temperature, Use a heat-proof spoon to create a pile of the flour in the middle of the pan, then use an instant-read cooking thermometer to check the temperature.Let the flour cool completely before mixing it with the other ingredients.
- With a large mixing bowl and electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar at High speed until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. *Make sure that there are no clumps of butter or sugar remaining.
- Add vanilla and salt and mix again until well incorporated.
- Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into your creamed sugar in thirds, ensuring all the flour is incorporated before adding more.
- If your dough appears too dry, add a dash of milk to moisten it until it is the desired consistency.
- Add sprinkles for a fun texture and pop of color and enjoy!
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Let the heat-treated flour cool before using it. When it comes out of the oven, the flour will be hot. It's best to let it cool off for 5-10 minutes.
- Adjust the ingredients to meet your desired consistency. If the sugar cookie dough seems too dry/crumbly, stir in a teaspoon of milk at a time until it reaches the consistency you want. If it seems too loose/runny, add a bit more flour.
- Refrigerate the dough to improve the consistency. Unlike traditional cookie recipes, edible cookie dough includes sugar that won't have a chance to melt in the heat of the oven. So, it can seem grainy to some people. The easiest way to fix this is to refrigerating the dough.
- Refrigerate the sugar cookie dough in an airtight container and use it within 5 days. It will firm up in the fridge, so to make it easier to serve, scoop or divide the dough into single servings before refrigerating. To freeze for up to 2 months, wrap the entire batch (or individual servings) in plastic wrap. Store the wrapped dough in a freezer-safe container.
Libby Sandstrom
I’m confused, the recipe sounds so delicious, however I’ve always been told that consuming raw flour could be a health risk. Is there new information out about that that I’ve not seen?
Liz Marino
The flour is heat treated!