No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites (vegan + gluten free)

We all know the best part of making cookies is sneaking bites of the dough, right? Heedless of the danger of raw eggs, and usually completely unaware of the danger of raw flour, we dive in with spoons or fingers, questioning if we really need to bake them into cookies… 

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Unfortunately, the threat of contaminated ingredients makes this habit a little risky with regular cookie dough. I know, sometimes you want to live on the edge. But just read down the list of potential symptoms from Salmonella or E. coli caused food poisoning and you may change your mind. Besides, why would you risk it when you don’t have to?! This edible cookie dough recipe is specifically designed to be safe to eat raw, but it’s also totally bake-able. Good news! You can have your cookie dough and eat it too! (See what I did there? Ha ha)

Basic Ingredients:

Flour – I love oat flour for this recipe! Unlike all purpose flour, oats and oat flour are safe to eat uncooked. You can buy it or make your own. Choose certified gluten free oats if you’re sensitive, and pulse the needed amount in a blender or food processor until a soft powder forms. They measure cup for cup, whole or blended. You can use almond flour too if you prefer! See my notes for almond flour adjustment. Coconut flour is a whole other ballgame though, so for best results, I wouldn’t recommend trying it as a substitution.

Butter – Use a dairy free butter to keep this vegan. I love Country Crock Plant Butter, it’s pretty much all I use anymore. Coconut oil can make a decent butter substitute, but I haven’t tested it in this recipe yet. Also, a trick I learned from heathy cookbook author Liz Moody: using a nut butter for half of your regular butter adds a dose of healthy fat and protein that can help lessen that blood sugar spike and crash you get from sweets. I haven’t tested it with cashew butter or seed butter, but peanut butter and almond butter are both yummy!

Flax egg – 1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 2 ½ tbsps water equals a perfect agent to add moisture and bind your ingredients together, without carrying the potentially harmful effects of a raw egg! Mix together and let stand for 5 minutes to thicken.

Xanthan gum – this is optional, but if you’ve got it, use it! In gluten free foods it works as a binder to help hold everything together.

There are more notes in the full recipe below.

These bite are:

Quick and easy sweet treats

Great for an after school snack

And they have no:

Raw eggs

Raw all purpose flour

Tummy aches!

So if you’re ready to get your cookie dough fix, grab a mixing bowl and hop into the kitchen!

To make:

If you need to make oat flour, process in blender until fine. Stir in baking soda and xanthen gum. Mix together water and flax and set aside to let flax egg thicken.

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together butter, nut butter if using, sugar and brown sugar. Add flax egg and vanilla extract, mix well, and then add in dry ingredients, half at a time.

Fold in chocolate chips and any other mix-ins you’d like. Chopped walnuts and shredded coconut are both great additions! Scoop out with a teaspoon or small cookie scoop into small bites and roll between your palms to smooth and shape into balls.

Line up on a baking sheet. You can fill the sheet so they’re almost all touching. Chill until firm, then transfer to an airtight container. If you need to stack them, add a layer of parchment paper so they don’t stick together. Store cookie dough balls in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Baking: If you want to bake them into cookies, chill dough bites for at least 1 hour, heat oven to 350, and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined tray. If you used almond flour, use your palm to slightly flatten the cookie ball before baking, it won’t spread much on it’s own! Bake for 10-12 minutes, remove and cool.