Cookie Dough Cookies

Reasons to Love These Cookie Dough Cookies

• Edible cookie dough. Homemade edible cookie dough is a game-changer. I use it to decorate these cookie dough cookies, and it’s a super simple way to enjoy cookie dough without risky ingredients like eggs and raw flour. Plus, you can reuse the recipe whenever a cookie dough craving strikes!
• Bakery-worthy. These cookies look like they belong in a bakery window, minus the bakery price tag. They’re made with common pantry ingredients.
• Easy to make. These are your standard sugar cookies and classic buttercream frosting, with the addition of brown sugar for that cookie-dough-inspired flavor. The dough for the cookies is easy to make, no chilling required!

What You’ll Need

I’ve included some quick ingredient notes below. For the full recipe details for these cookie dough cookies, scroll down to the printable recipe card after the post.

• Butter – I always use unsalted butter when I am baking.
• Sugar – Granulated sugar, plus brown sugar for extra moisture and depth of flavor. You can make these cookies with all of one type of sugar or the other, if needed.
• Eggs and Vanilla – You can replace vanilla extract with vanilla paste, but I don’t recommend artificial vanilla.
• Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch gives sugar cookies a soft, chewy texture and crispier exterior. It’s a simple trick that makes a difference!
• Frosting – I frost these cookie dough cookies with a rich brown sugar frosting. It’s a classic vanilla frosting with the addition of brown sugar for more of a “cookie dough” flavor.
• Edible Cookie Dough – This can be store-bought or homemade (see below). I use edible chocolate chip cookie dough, but you can use any flavor you’d like.
• Mini Chocolate Chips – To stir into the edible cookie dough and as an extra garnish for the frosted cookies.

How to Heat Treat Flour

If you’re making the edible cookie dough from scratch, you’ll need to heat-treat the flour. Raw flour can contain bacteria, so it’s important to heat the flour to 160ºF to kill off any bacteria when you’re using it in no-bake recipes. There are two easy ways to do this:

• In the microwave (my method of choice). Add your raw flour to a microwave-safe bowl and heat it in 20-second intervals until the temperature of the flour reaches 160ºF. This takes about a minute, so it’s the quickest method.
• In the oven. Spread the flour out on a baking sheet and bake it at 350ºF for 5 minutes. Let the heat-treated flour cool completely before you use it.

Homemade Edible Cookie Dough

My edible cookie dough recipe uses nearly the same ingredients as the baked sugar cookies. The main difference is that I make the edible version with heat-treated flour (see above) and without eggs or leavening, so it’s safe to eat. I also add mini chocolate chips.

Once you’ve heat-treated the flour, mix your edible cookie dough following the steps below:

• Combine the wet ingredients. Cream the butter with both sugars, then add the vanilla and milk. Mix until that’s mostly smooth.
• Add the dry ingredients. Next, stir in the treated flour and salt. Mix until the dough comes together, and fold in the chocolate chips.
• Chill. Roll the cookie dough into mini balls. Afterward, chill the dough balls in the fridge until you’re ready to decorate the cookies.

How to Make Cookie Dough Cookies

While your edible cookie dough chills in the fridge, here’s how to prepare, bake, and then decorate these chewy, soft-baked cookie dough cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable recipe instructions.

• Mix the wet ingredients. First, mix the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Once combined, beat in the vanilla and eggs.
• Add dry ingredients. Mix in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
• Portion the cookies. Now, scoop 2-3 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat and place the cookies onto a baking sheet. Gently press the cookies to flatten them a little.
• Bake. Bake at 350ºF for 11-14 minutes until the cookies are set at the edges. The cookies will need to cool completely before you frost them.
• Frost the cookies. When the cookies are cool, combine the frosting ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread the frosting evenly over the top of each cookie. I recommend doing this in batches, so you can add the edible cookie dough balls before the frosting sets.
• Decorate. Sprinkle the tops of the frosted cookies with mini chocolate chips and press 2-3 mini cookie dough balls onto each cookie.

Tips and Variations

• Use room-temperature ingredients. You’ll need room temperature butter for the cookies and edible cookie dough, so remember to take your butter out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead of time. If you forget, you can soften the butter quickly in the microwave. Heat in short, 10-second increments so that it doesn’t melt completely.
• Don’t overbake the cookies. The secret to perfectly soft-baked cookies is to take them out of the oven when they’re just dry on top and set at the edges. If they’re browned on top, they’re overbaked! Not all ovens bake the same, either, so check these cookies at the earliest suggested baking time and go from there.
• Different frosting. Frost these cookie dough cookies with chocolate frosting if you prefer. Another fun option is to mix your edible cookie dough into spreadable cookie dough frosting instead of mini dough balls.

How to Store

• Refrigerate. Due to the frosting and edible cookie dough, I recommend storing these cookies in the fridge and taking them out ahead of time to serve at room temperature. Keep the cookies in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days.
• Freeze. You can freeze the baked, unfrosted sugar cookies for up to 2 months. Let the cookies cool completely and then freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before frosting and decorating.

More Easy Cookie Recipes

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwich Cookies
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
• S’mores Cookies
• Brownie Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Frosted Churro Cookies