Silky chocolate chip cookie dough bars topped with a rich chocolate are guilt free and utterly delicious. This is the ultimate safe edible cookie dough recipe!
Completely safe to eat cookie dough bars
Eating traditional cookie dough is a no-no, and for good reason. We all knew the risks of eating raw eggs, but did you also know that eating raw flour is just as dangerous? No treat, however delicious, is worth the risk of getting food poisoning, so I had to do some research to figure out a way to make a safe and delicious cookie dough bar. This recipe is a-mazing!
What I love about these edible cookie dough bars:
- They’re no-bake ~ perfect for a spring and summer dessert.
- The edible cookie dough is the best ever, silky doesn’t even begin to describe the texture.
- There are no risky ingredients in the recipe.
- I’m not even a cookie dough fanatic and I’m obsessed with these bars.
raw flour facts
- Flour is a minimally processed agricultural ingredient and not a ready-to-eat product.
- As it grows wheat can come into contact with harmful bacteria like E. coli or Salmonella via animal waste.
- Flour is safe in baked products; the baking temperatures will generally kill any pathogens in the flour.
- But uncooked flour can contain harmful bacteria that can cause illness or worse.
so how do I make safe cookie dough bars??
- No raw eggs in these bars, so no worries there.
- We replace regular flour with commercially heat treated flour ~ it’s been heated to kill any potential pathogens so you can safely eat it raw. It’s not widely available, but if you love cookie dough, it’s worth tracking down. You can buy it here.
- You can also use non-wheat flours like oat flour, or finely ground almond flour, both of which are safe to eat raw. But be aware that using these flours will alter the flavor and texture of your bars.
Where to find heat treated flour
Heat treated flour for edible cookie dough can be hard to find. I think we may start seeing it in supermarkets soon, but for now I suggest buying online, here. These cookie dough bars are so delicious it’s worth the effort to track this flour down (see my heat treated flour buying guide, below the recipe card*)
Remember you can use heat treated (pasteurized) flour just as you do regular flour, so you don’t have to save it for just cookie dough.
It’s not safe to heat treat flour at home
Many cookie dough recipes will tell you that you can heat treat your own flour in the oven or microwave, but this is not safe and the FDA advises against it. Here’s why:
Home heat-treating flour can be unreliable because most ovens don’t heat evenly, making it hard to guarantee all parts of the flour reach the necessary 160°F to kill harmful bacteria like E. coli. Workarounds like stirring during baking help distribute heat, but they still can’t guarantee that every bit of flour reaches and holds 160°F evenly.
how to store edible cookie dough bars
The bars are best kept in the fridge until ready to serve, and best eaten while still chilled. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
The texture is like fudge when cold, but will soften as it sits at room temperature and becomes more cookie dough-ish. Both ways are extremely deliciously irresistible.
My grandson said, “These are the best things you’ve ever made, Nonna.” Pretty high praise. But when my husband said the same thing, I knew I really had a winner! ~ROSEMARY
Edible Cookie Dough Bars
Equipment
- 9×9 square baking pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups heat treated flour*, buy heat treated flour here.
- 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk
- 10 ounces mini chocolate chips
frosting
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
Instructions
- Cream the 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar and 1/4 tsp salt together until fluffy. I use electric beaters. Just beat it really good so it's light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in the 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- Blend in the 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk and then the 2 cups heat treated flour*.
- Fold in the 10 ounces mini chocolate chips.
- Spray a 9×9 square baking pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper with long ends so you can lift out the bars for easy cutting later. You can skip the paper if you want to cut and serve them right out of the pan.
- Turn the dough out into the pan and pat down evenly with your hands. You may want to flour your hands as the dough is sticky. Smooth it out evenly, I used an offset spatula to finish the job.
- Cover and refrigerate until firm, (about 2-3 hours.) The texture will be similar to a fudge.
- To make the chocolate topping, put the 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 Tbsp neutral oil in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup and microwave for 45 seconds. Stir until all the chocolate is completely melted.
- Let the chocolate cool for about 5 minutes, and then pour onto the dough. Spread out evenly. Allow the chocolate to set up before slicing. Cut into 16 squares.
- Keep the bars in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Notes
Nutrition
*Heat treated flour buying guide
- DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections
- Offers heat-treated flour in various sizes, perfect for baking and edible doughs.
- Available for pre-order on their website.
- Honeyville’s Page House
- Provides consumer-packaged heat-treated flour, ensuring safety for raw consumption.
- Available through the Honeyville website.
- Amazon
- Search for heat-treated flour on Amazon
- Ensure the product description specifies “heat-treated” or “safe for raw consumption.”
- Local Sources
- Check your local bakery supply shops ~ if they don’t carry it, request it!
Hi just wondering if you have nutritional facts for each serving
My grandson said, “These are the best things you’ve ever made, Nonna.” Pretty high praise. But when my husband said the same thing, I knew I really had a winner! Thanks for sharing, Sue. I’m not sure I’ll even bother with the peanut butter/chocolate frosting I’ve seen on other versions.
Has anyone tried this with canned coconut milk? Just a thought…..I don’t do dairy- but these look amazing.
You might try sweetened condensed coconut milk.
I’m thinking about making these for my stepdaughters bday party this wkend, but it’s outside and will be mid 70’s. I’m going to look into a different frosting so the chocolate doesn’t melt away, but do you think the rest of the bar will hold up?!
I found it was best eaten fairly cold, Rachel. If you can keep it cold and then maybe bring it out from the fridge when ready to eat, that would probably be best.
I just made a pan of these and mine are doughy as well! I followed all the ingredients and directions. Also, mine came out tasting a little flour-y. Can I add something next time that won’t make them taste like flour?
Well, the thing about these is that they are a ‘play’ on cookie dough, so the flavor is going to be different from a regular blondie or brownie type dessert. I would say make sure you added the vanilla, and also you could try making them in a slightly larger pan so they are thinner, with a bigger frosting to bar ratio. I also would say they are best eaten in small pieces, even though in the photo they look on the large size.
Am I missing something? I made these last night. The dough is still gooey I only used 12oz of the evap milk Even turned fridge temp Down to make cooler. Then when I cut into it the topping breaks in sections and dough still gooey… Please help. Thanks
The dough shouldn’t be gooey, Rebecca – did you get the right amount of flour in?
I put 2 cups
Sue it’s more like a texture if u leave cookie dough out in the open for a couple hours
But I had it in fridge for 20 hours on high and topping was too hard as well it broke in pieces when trying to cut it
For me, it was soft at room temperature, but firm when it was cold. I let it sit out for maybe 15 minutes before cutting. I don’t know what could account for your gooey texture, so sorry!
And only brown sugar goes in this? No white sugar, right?
Rebecca, sweetened condensed milk is Eagle Brand, not evaporated milk.
Thanks Mary – that must have been the problem!
Thank you!
I obviously can’t read! Lol
That’s what it was
hi was just reading the notes and noticed you had an issue….you wrote evap milk in your reply. Did you use evap milk because that is different than condensed which is what the recipe calls for?
You said you used evaporated milk when the recipe calls for sweetened condensed !! Could be the culprit for gooey dough.
I made these today, am just waiting for the frosting to harden before having a sample. I am looking forward to biting into one.
Oh my goodness, those are so mouthwatering! I too love that they are eggless. Will definitely have to give those a go soon..
You’ve outdone yourself with these bars, they look absolutely incredible!
Looks sinfully delicious! Wonder what it would be like if you added a little flake coconut?
I say the more the merrier 🙂