Photo: @unbakedbar on Instagram.
The best part of baking cookies has nothing to do with the finished product; it’s the dough. Experts have long cautioned about the risk of salmonella poisoning from consuming raw cookie dough, and while those concerns are valid, some of us believe the scoopable ecstasy is worth the risk. For those who’d rather not exchange the possibility of sickness for edible bliss, try one of these safe (read: egg-free) yet still totally enticing alternatives.
From A Jar
Photo: @unbakedbar on Instagram.
If the reason you aren’t eating cookie dough right now is because you don’t want to bother with the buying and mixing of ingredients, you’re not alone. The demand to make cookie dough consumption easier is why a slew of companies have recently launched raw cookie dough product lines across the country. Unbaked Bar, an online-only, Cottage Food company operating out of Woodland Hills, Calif., is one of them. Choose from 12 base flavors like Brown Sugar, Brownie Batter, Red Velvet, or Nutella, then load up your order with candy, nuts, sprinkles, or dried fruit. Not a pick-your-own-flavor kind of person? Ten signature dough options have your cravings covered, from Monster to S’mores Lovin’ to Grandma’s House. Cookie dough comes in half-pint, pint, or quart size servings, and is shipped straight to your door within two business days. Subscriptions and gluten-free options are also available.
On A Pastry
Photo: @thedoughnutbar on Instagram.
You’d have to hop a flight Down Under to sample the delicacies of The Doughnut Bar, but that might not sound so crazy once you get a glance of the pastries coming out of this Brisbane, Australia bakery. Overlook, if you can, the blue-glazed Marge Simpson, the gummy-topped Dr. Pepper, and the Caramel Injectable (yes, it comes with a syringe) pastries, and focus on the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Doughnut. This hefty yet fluffy brioche concoction is dusted with sugar, filled with Nutella, ladled with glaze, sprinkled with chocolate chips, and topped with clumps of cookie dough. It’s also available in cronut form and, for those who want a bigger sugar rush, as a Doughcone (30 mini doughnuts welded together to form a cone into which ice cream is scooped). Book that flight already.
Also: 7 Must-Follow Doughnut Shops on Instagram
As A Pudding
Photo: @fathippofood on Instagram.
The search for cookie dough delights takes us now to the UK. If you can locate a town long-windedly named West Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, you’ve found the hipster haven where burger bar The Fat Hippo is located. Let your stomach settle after eating one of the venue’s massive, dripping burgers, then order the Cookie Dough Pudding. What is pudding? Depends on who you ask. Some Brits compare it to custard, though others use the term to describe any dessert made with sugar, flour, and milk. Whatever it is, it looks gooey enough to dissolve on your tongue.
For Breakfast
Photo: @dishisions on Instagram.
Cookie dough can totally be part of a complete breakfast if you want it to be. At TOWN in San Carlos, Calif., cookie dough chunks are mixed into malted waffle batter. After baking to golden perfection, the waffles are doused in maple syrup, topped whipped cream, and crowned with organic berries. (As if cookie dough needed help in the flavor department!) You have a sweet tooth named Kimra to thank for this creation, or so we assume, based on the dish’s name (Kimra’s Cookie Dough Waffle).
On A Cupcake
Photo: @cupcakechicutah on Instagram.
It’s hard to imagine “chic” and Utah being mentioned in the same sentence, but we’ll give Cupcake Chic the benefit of the doubt if only because of its gorgeous display of cookie dough piled atop a pillowy cupcake. This flavor was deemed so popular it’s now on the regular menu every Friday. Chances are, you can find a copy-cat in a bakery near you.
Also: The Most Outrageous State Fair Foods
From Your Freezer
Photo: @katmusnifitness on Instagram.
OK, health nuts, this one’s for you. Arctic Zero falls under the “frozen dessert” category, meaning it isn’t exactly ice cream, but it isn’t flavorless diet fare, either. (Then again, you wouldn’t expect something that’s free of lactose and GMOs to taste like a trip to Dairy Queen, right? It’s also kosher and low glycemic in case your dietary restrictions care.) But let’s not focus on what isn’t in this stuff. What is: cookie dough! And dark chocolate chips! There’s also this: you can eat an entire pint and only set yourself back 300 calories. (They even print that caloric info on the front of the pint. Clearly, they know their customers.) All that said, Arctic Zero has been known to leave the taste buds wanting. If you need some suggestions on how to make your faux binge more exciting, check out the company’s Instagram. Our suggestion? Go nuts. As in walnuts or pecans.
In Your Kitchen
Photo: @struckyti on Instagram.
Egg-free cookie dough is one of those foods you should master making at home because once you get a taste of it, you’re going to want it all the time. Lindsay Landis, a food blogger who is considered a connoisseur of all things cookie dough-related, has an easy recipe that takes you from mise en place to total satisfaction in just a few minutes. In a large bowl, cream together 1 stick of unsalted butter (at room temperature), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Gradually add in 1 1/4 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir until incorporated. Fold in 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips. That’s it! If you’re feeling ambitious (or just plain bored with the ol’ spoon-shoveling-into-mouth routine), pick up a copy of The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook and work your way through dozens of cookie dough-containing masterpieces.
