Red Velvet Cookie Dough (2024)

This edible red velvet cookie dough is creamy, dough-ey, and tastes exactly like unbaked cookies while being safe to eat raw! It’s slightly chocolatey, a dark rich red colour, and packed with chocolate chips. It’s the perfect no bake treat for Valentine’s Day! It comes together so quickly and I could eat the whole jar in one sitting.

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Why you will LOVE this recipe:

Red velvet: slightly chocolatey, rich, and creamy

Edible: You don’t have to worry about salmonella or ecoli with this cookie dough because there are no eggs and the flour has been pasteurized.

Easy: So easy to make - no baking and no chill time. No electric mixer needed!

Naturally egg free: If you don’t do well with eggs this one is for you!

Optionally gluten free: There's an option to make this with oat flour for a gluten free version or if you don’t want to take the extra step to sterilize all-purpose flour.

How to get the best edible cookie dough

Edible cookie dough is essentially the same as regular cookie dough except it doesn’t have eggs and the flour is pasteurized. A bit of milk replaces the moisture from eggs and gives it that same creamy factor.

The flour is easily pasteurized by heating it until it reaches 160°F (71°C). You can do this in the oven (my preferred method) or by using the microwave.

How to make this gluten free

To make this red velvet cookie dough gluten free, just use oat flour. You don’t have to heat treat oat flour because it can be eaten raw. To make oat flour, blend up some rolled oats in a food processor or blender until fine, sift, and measure the same way.

How to make dairy free cookie dough

Since this recipe doesn’t require baking, you can easily swap out butter for dairy free butter, and milk for your preferred milk.

Ingredient swaps that I wouldn’t try

Vegetable oil: this will make the dough greasy and crumbly. If you don’t mind that, then go ahead!

Coconut oil: It’s just not the same texture as butter. It will be crumbly and the mouthfeel will be off.

Brown butter: Don’t substitute all of the butter with brown butter. Brown butter solidifies to be very hard and when it’s soft, the texture is pretty greasy. Here’s a recipe for brown butter edible cookie dough that has the right ratio of brown butter to softened butter for the best texture.

Why it’s important to only eat "safe" dough

There’s a risk of getting food poisoning from salmonella (raw eggs) and/or E. coli and other bacteria (raw flour). This way you can have risk free, edible red velvet cookie dough that has a longer shelf life because no raw eggs!

How to heat treat flour

Oven (preferred method): Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Spread flour onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes (stirring well halfway) and let cool completely. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn. See notes for how to pasteurize flour in a microwave.

Microwave: Heat flour in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments. Stir well and break up the flour so that nothing burns. Use an instant read thermometer to make sure that it reaches 160°F (71°C) throughout the flour. Keep heating if it doesn't.

Sift heat treated flour before using it to get rid of any lumps. If there are any lumps just break them up and push through the sifter. This helps make the cookie dough smooth.

Other ideas:

• Truffles: Roll the dough into balls and dip in melted chocolate for red velvet cookie dough truffles.
• Mix-ins: Add your favourite chopped cookies (oreos) or candy bars instead of chocolate chips.
• Blue velvet: Only add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and a different colour food colouring to make blue, pink, or even purple velvet cookie dough!
• Bars: Make cookie dough bars by spreading onto a parchment lined baking sheet, covering with melted chocolate, chill until set and cutting into bars with a hot knife.

Key ingredients

Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below. But read through these for all the tips you will need for success!

All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup. It's weighed before pasteurizing in the microwave or oven.

Butter: Use good quality, real butter for best results. You can use a vegan butter for a dairy free option.

Brown sugar: This gives the cookie dough that authentic rich dough flavour. Don't substitute with granulated sugar.

Red gel food colouring: Gel food colouring will add a lot of pigment without adding much moisture. I don't recommend using liquid food colouring because you'll never be able to add enough to get it bright red. You can use a natural food dye powder if you want a natural option.

Cocoa powder: Use natural or dutch processed cocoa powder. Dutch processed will give you a more rich chocolate flavour.

Chocolate chips: Use a mix of milk and semisweet chocolate for more flavour variation. You can also use chopped chocolate and customize the mix-ins as you like!

Step by step

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Spread flour onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes (stirring well halfway) and let cool completely. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn. See notes for how to pasteurize flour in a microwave.
2. Combine softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix together until it becomes creamy and lightens in colour a bit. I used a regular silicone spatula and did this by hand (about 45 seconds).
3. Add vanilla and food colouring, whisk well. Sift flour and cocoa powder right into the same bowl - making sure to break up any lumps.
4. Fold the cookie dough, adding milk as you fold to get as creamy of a consistency as you prefer. Add chocolate chips and fold. Transfer to a jar and serve!

FAQ

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Happy baking!

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