Edible Gluten Free Cookie Dough Recipe

This gluten free cookie dough tastes just like you’re sneaking some raw dough, but with the right type of heat-treated flour and no eggs, it’s safe for everyone to enjoy.

The recipe calls for only 6 ingredients, takes under 15 minutes, and is made as bites rather than the spoonful for easy serving.

Ingredients explained

In your pantry, you probably have all the ingredients you need to make irresistible gluten free cookie dough:

• Gluten free flour blend – Edible cookie dough needs some sort of flour to provide bulk, and give the texture and taste some authenticity. For the right texture, use a blend of finely ground flours and without any xanthan gum. My gum-free gluten free blend of superfine white rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch is great, or you can use Nicole’s Best multipurpose, which has no gums. I’ve tried using just superfine rice flour, and it just didn’t taste like cookie dough. Be sure to quickly heat-treat the flour in the microwave or toaster oven to make it safe to eat.
• Butter – Holds the dough together and adds the right rich, buttery flavor.
• White sugar – White granulated sugar adds sweetness and a slightly gritty texture you expect from raw dough.
• Brown sugar – The molasses in brown sugar adds the classic chocolate chip cookie flavor with a softer texture.
• Salt – A dash balances the sweetness; start with 1/8 teaspoon and then add more only after tasting it so it doesn’t taste salty.
• Vanilla extract – Adds depth of flavor.
• Chocolate chips – Mini chips in that variety add chocolate flavor and texture without being overwhelming.

How to make edible gluten free cookie dough bites

Through a series of carefully crafted experiments and flavor tests with various gluten free flours, I’ve created a recipe that easily rivals traditional raw dough you would bake. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Heat-treat the flour

You must pasteurize the raw gluten free flour to make it safe to consume by heating it gently and just enough to kill any possible pathogens that could make you sick without cooking it. You can do this either in the microwave at 800 watts or in a toaster oven at about 250°F, heating it gently until it reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Step 2: Make the cookie dough

In a large bowl, place white sugar, brown sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, softened butter and vanilla extract, and mix until creamy. If the butter is soft enough, but not melted, you can mix vigorously enough with a fork to make it creamy.

Make sure the heat-treated flour is completely cool, or it will melt the butter and the chocolate chips once you add them. Add the flour, and taste the mixture and add more salt to taste. Then mix in the mini chocolate chips.

Step 3: Shape and chill the dough

Scoop the dough into 12 equal pieces. That’s easiest to do with a spring-loaded ice cream scoop. I like to use a slightly underfull #70 scoop, but two spoons works just fine.

Roll each piece between clean palms into a round so you can store them in a jar more easily. Chill the dough until it’s firm in the refrigerator and then place the bites in a large enough sealed jar or zip-top bag that they don’t press against each other. The butter will begin to melt in a warm room, so keep them chilled.

Expert tips

The simpler the recipe, the more little details like the temperature and ratio of ingredients matters. Here are the top tips from my pro kitchen:

Use a flour blend

It’s annoying to blend 3 different flours, or seek out a proper blend without xanthan gum, but I’ve tried this recipe using just almond flour, just oat flour, or just superfinely ground rice flour, and it just doesn’t taste like cookie dough to me.

Use soft butter, not melted

The butter actually works with the gf flour to create just the right texture to fool your mind that you’re eating something that might be baked. If you use melted butter, the mixture will be sticky and dense.

The best way to reach the right butter consistency is to simply pull your butter from the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour before you start.

Stick with miniature mix-ins

If you use regular, full-size chocolate chips, they’ll quickly overwhelm the dough and make it impossible to make small bites. If you don’t have mini chocolate chips, you can chop regular chocolate chips into smaller pieces or just chop a block of your favorite chocolate. Since you aren’t baking the dough, you don’t need the chocolate pieces to resist melting in the oven.

If you’d prefer to add eggs

If you have pasteurized raw eggs that are safe to eat, you can heat-treat the flour and use our classic recipe for gluten free chocolate chip cookies or for gluten free drop sugar cookies, and enjoy the actual cookie dough raw. You don’t have to make any other changes!

For a scoopable dough

I’m tempted to sneak raw cookie dough once it’s shaped into drop cookies, not when it’s still in the mixing bowl. If you’d rather a scoopable dough, though, just mix in room temperature milk by the teaspoonful to either variety until it reaches the consistency you like best.

Substitution suggestions

These cookie dough bites are already egg-free, but they do contain dairy. Here’s how to avoid other possible allergens:

Dairy free

In place of butter, block-style vegan butter like Miyoko’s or Melt brands work, but I prefer the taste of virgin coconut oil (the kind that’s solid at room temperature). For the authentic buttery taste without butter, you can try using LorAnn brand butter emulsion oil that we use in our gluten free Crumbl cookies. Be sure your chocolate chips are dairy free, like Enjoy Life brand.

Sugar free

Since we aren’t baking this dough, sugar alternatives should work well. I like Lakanto brand, but they do tend to be drying. If necessary to get the dough to hold together, mix in lukewarm water a few drops at a time.

Storage instructions

Store your bites in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For longer storage, freeze them. Place the shaped bites on a small lined baking pan, and place it in the freezer. Then, transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag and store for up to 3 months then thaw, still in the container, in the refrigerator.

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