Types of Cookie Dough – Your Ultimate Guide (2023)

Published Categorized as Journal, Baking Tagged

Love eating different types of cookie dough? If so, then take a seat. Today’s post is all about the different types of cookie dough you can make at home, using only a few simple ingredients. In addition, we’ll be revealing what makes regular cookie dough unsafe to eat, as well as how you can modify it to make a safe and deliciously flavorful substitution. Sounds good? Great! Let’s dive into all the wonderfully decadent ways you can enjoy cookie dough in 2023!

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Types of Cookie Dough

Table of Contents

To start, let’s first explore some of the most common cookie dough flavors out there that you can make. Of course, this list isn’t exhaustive as there are a ton of flavors out there for you to choose from. However, these are some of the most common flavors we’re sure you’re gonna love! So, let’s go ahead and get started.

Cookies ‘n Cream

Sometimes referred to as “milk and cookies”, cookies ‘n cream cookie dough can take on various forms. In many cases, this is thought of to be a mashup of oreo cookies and yummy vanilla ice cream flavors, however, you could technically substitute any cookie you wish in this delicious dough.

Try shortbread cookies or leftover chocolate chip cookies to start. Have leftover peanut butter cookies? Throw those in too! The sky’s the limit when it comes to making your own cookies ‘n cream cookie dough. So, go ahead–get creative!

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter cookie dough, as you might imagine, is made primarily of peanut butter. In fact, there are some recipes that involve up to an entire jar of peanut butter and only 2-3 other ingredients. Whether or not those kinds of peanut butter dough recipes are safe to consume will depend on the ingredients– but don’t worry. We’ll cover more about which cookie doughs you should and shouldn’t eat later.

But for now, just know that peanut butter cookie dough isn’t just for when you want to bake peanut butter cookies! The dough itself can make a delicious treat, especially when sprinkled with yummy peanut butter chips!

M&M (or Other Chocolate Candies)

Love M&Ms? If so, you’ll love M&M cookie dough! Using an edible dough base, toss your M&Ms in and mix gently. Conversely, you could use practically any other chocolate candy to make an equally tasty treat. Need a good edible dough base? Stay tuned until the end of this post. We’ve got a great edible cookie dough base you can use that allows you to add practically any candy (or other sweet ingredients) you want!

Who doesn’t love red velvet cake? We sure do! Take the decadent chocolate flavor of red velvet and infuse it into cookie dough for a uniquely yummy treat you’re sure to love!

You read it here. You can totally make sugar cookie dough for a treat instead of the traditional baked sugar cookies you’re used to. Toss in a few colorful sprinkles for a funfetti-style dough or throw in a few white chocolate chips with macadamia nuts for sweet and nutty flavors. With sugar cookie dough, the possibilities for mix-ins are virtually endless. So, go ahead. Have a ball!

Snickerdoodle

Similar to sugar cookies, snickerdoodle cookies consist of sugar and vanilla extract, but also feature cinnamon. These cinnamon sugar dusted cookies can easily be converted to edible cookie dough for an out-of-this-world late-night snack.

Oatmeal

Unlike other cookie dough batters, oatmeal cookies may or may not contain raw flour. In any event, most oatmeal cookie recipes can be converted into edible cookie dough, and we’ll be sure to detail how later. With oatmeal cookies, it can be fun to try adding a variety of mix-ins, including raisins, dried cranberries, ground cinnamon, chocolate chips, walnuts, almonds, and so much more.

Cake Batter

Otherwise known as “edible cake batter” this cake batter cookie dough is a wonderful spin on two of the most beloved desserts in North America. Add sprinkles and white chocolate chips for a colorful twist!

Plain (Otherwise Known as “Naked” Dough)

Plain cookie dough can be easily made by omitting chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookie dough. Though it may seem strange, it is a popular cookie recipe, especially for those that don’t like a lot of “chips” in their dough!

Brownie Batter

Brownie batter cookie dough usually involves dark chocolate, cacao powder, and a number of other ingredients. The result? A deliciously decadent and chocolatey treat perfect for any time of the day (or year)!

Chocolate Chip

If you love a good chocolate chip cookie, you’ll love chocolate chip cookie dough! In fact, this is one of our favorite recipes when it comes to edible cookie dough. Check out our edible cookie dough base below and add an extra 1/3 cup of chocolate chips to it for the ultimate traditional cookie dough!

Think cookie dough is only for an occasional indulgence? Think again! By making low-calorie cookie dough, you can enjoy the treat nearly every day without guilt. It’s the perfect way to unwind while still keeping an eye on your waste line. It’s truly a win-win!

Types of Cookie Dough

After all of this talk about cookie dough, you may be wondering why you can’t simply whip up a batch of “regular” cookie dough and eat it as a treat.

The reason? It could make you very ill!

While typical cookie ingredients like brown sugar, salted butter, and chocolate chips won’t have an effect on your health, the raw flour and eggs in a basic cookie dough recipe certainly will. By eating cookie dough in its raw form, you are putting yourself at risk for both short and long-term illness. The eggs in the raw dough aren’t cooked, and thus, could pose a hazard to your health in the form of salmonella, E.coli, and more.

You may be thinking, “But my eggs are pasteurized!” Even if this is the case, don’t forget that eating raw flour can also pose a risk to your health. That’s because raw flour can carry bacteria in it. It is for this reason you may notice several warnings on flour asking that you not consume it without cooking it first. In this case, the warnings on the package aren’t just a recommendation. The warnings are there to protect your health!

Now that you have information about what makes “regular” cookie dough unfit to eat, we thought it might be helpful to see what a normal cookie dough base might look like. Not only can you use this base to cook up delicious cookies in the future, but you can also reference this cookie dough base whenever trying to determine whether or not a cookie dough is safe for you to eat.

The following is an awesome inedible cookie dough that you can use for baking cookies. Don’t forget to add the mix-ins!

  • 3 sticks salted butter (make sure the butter is soft)
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Now for the good stuff! Though it may not be wise to eat cookie dough as is, there are alterations you can make to your average cookie dough recipe to make it safe for consumption.

They include the following:

  • Remove the eggs: One of the biggest concerns with eating raw cookie dough is the consumption of raw eggs in the batter. Rather than eating cookie dough with raw eggs, you’ll want to look for a cookie dough recipe that contains no eggs at all. This will require an adjustment of ingredients, and in some cases, maybe even the addition of other ingredients. We don’t recommend that you make these alterations on your own. Rather, it’s always best to look for a recipe, like edible Red Velvet cookie dough, and follow the instructions to a tee to get optimal results without the risk.
  • Remove the flour: As you’ll soon see, removing the flour from your cookie dough isn’t a necessary step, but it is an option for those who aren’t wanting to take any risks. Thing is, you’ll need to find something to replace that flour with. Try using oatmeal or oat flour when replacing flour, as oatmeal can be consumed raw. If that doesn’t strike your fancy, go ahead and skip down to the next section. There are ways around removing the flour from a cookie dough recipe completely if you’d rather keep it.
  • Cook the flour: If you want to make certain types of cookie dough but want to keep the flour intact, it is totally possible to heat treat the flour so that it is safe for consumption. To do so, simply heat the flour in the microwave for 30 seconds and again at 15-second intervals, stirring between each pause until the flour reaches 165°F. Another option is to heat your oven to 350 and heat the flour for about 5 minutes this way to help kill the bacteria on the flour before using it.

Making edible cookie dough is totally easy, and with only a few ingredients, you can whip up the perfect base.

Check out the following “naked” cookie dough recipe and feel free to add mix-ins if you wish!

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 stick of butter (make sure the butter is soft)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp whole milk (or dairy-free alternative)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp of cinnamon (optional, but provides a unique twist)

Remember that when making an edible cookie dough base, there are an endless amount of opportunities for you to make the dough your own. Add whatever mix ins you want to make your cookie dough taste as delicious as you hoped. Here are a few options to get you started:

  • Chocolate chips
  • White chocolate chips
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Raisins
  • Walnuts
  • Sprinkles
  • Powdered sugar (for dusting)
  • Dried cranberries
  • Shredded coconut
  • Peanut butter chips
  • Caramel chips
  • Chopped peanuts
  • Seasonal ingredients (think Christmas time!)

Though you can freeze most types of cookie dough, there are some types you should never freeze. This rule usually pertains to cookie dough that contains egg whites as these won’t fare well once frozen.

Types of cookie dough that you should never freeze include macarons, meringues, and other recipes involving egg whites without the use of butter.

Types Of Cookie Dough – Your Ultimate Guide (2022)

When it comes to various types of cookie dough, the opportunities are truly endless. Still, there are risks that you take when eating “regular” cookie dough instead of edible cookie dough.

To be on the safe side, be sure that you select a cookie dough recipe that is edible. When making this type of cookie dough, be sure to cook the flour first or to swap the flour out for oatmeal (or oat flour) instead.

Which edible cookie dough will you try? See you next time!

FAQs

What are the 7 basic ingredients in all cookies?

There can be multiple ingredients in cookies, but there are usually seven basic ingredients. These are flour, leaveners (baking powder or baking soda), salt, sugar, butter, eggs, and extracts (or mix ins).

Is cookie dough edible?

“Normal” cookie dough should not be consumed without being baked first. This is because the raw flour and eggs in the mixture pose significant risks to your health. Instead, it is far better to whip up a quick and easy cookie dough recipe. This enables you to cook the flour first and skip the egg without sacrificing texture. Give it a go, and see what you think!

What are uncommon cookie dough flavors?

Looking for something out of the box? Try PB&J cookie dough, Lucky Charms cookie dough, S’mores cookie dough, or sunflower butter cookie dough.

What makes raw flour bad to eat?

Raw flour is unsafe as it can lead to food poisoning due to the bacteria present in the flour.

By Anna

Hey, I’m Anna; writer, editor and amateur cook extraordinaire! Food has been my life and my passion for the most of my life – it’s crazy to think I didn’t pursue a career in cooking. I’m obsessed! However, keeping cooking as an obsessive hobby has worked for me – my passion grows as the years pass by – maybe I wouldn’t say the same if it was also my day job! I hope you find cooking inspiration, entertainment and “stop and think interesting tid-bits” throughout my writing – and I’d love to hear from you if you’ve got anything you want to share. Food feeds the soul – so get eating! Author Pinterest Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Tumblr Reddit Quora

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