Healthy Edible Cookie Dough Bites (Gluten-Free, Vegan-Friendly) (2024)

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ByEmily August 16, 2021February 21, 2024 February 21, 2024

Healthy edible cookie dough? YES PLEASE! This almond flour cookie dough recipe is easy + delicious. The perfect no-bake treat to keep on hand! (Gluten-free, paleo, vegan-friendly)

Do you want to know my favorite part of being a food blogger? Taste testing TREATS.

It’s the best. It can be a rollercoaster sometimes with baking projects since it’s so much more precise and scientific than cooking can be, but when you nail it? Like really nail it after all your testing? It’s the BEST.

This edible cookie dough was one such delight–healthy almond flour cookie dough bites, made from simple ingredients, and I don’t even have to turn on my oven in this end-of-summer heat? Count me ALL the way in!!!

I love healthy dessert recipes like this!

You only need 6 ingredients to get started…

Here’s What Goes Into Our Edible Healthy Cookie Dough Bites:

The big trick to edible cookie dough is avoiding raw eggs and raw flour. Regular flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour isn’t safe to eat raw and needs to be heat-treated before eating. We don’t have that issue with almond flour! AND we avoid nut butter, chickpeas, beans, and other ingredients that can impact the flavor.

• Softened Butter or Vegan Butter (or Coconut Oil).Our healthy cookie dough bites recipe starts with softened butter or vegan butter. You can substitute melted coconut oil, though the coconut flavor *will* come through. (Using refined coconut oil can help soften the flavor.) Another option is to use peanut butter or almond butter here to help the bites bind together, though the flavor and texture will be slightly different.
• Almond Flour.Using almond flour is kind of like magic! It’s made from finely ground blanched almonds (with the skins removed), so you’re really just adding almonds to the recipe. Win! I love the subtle sweetness it adds and the soft texture makes these edible cookie dough bites delightful! Do not substitute regular flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour here, as it needs to be heat-treated to be safe to eat.
• Pure Maple Syrup.I use natural sweetener for our healthy edible cookie dough, but you can certainly try brown sugar instead if you prefer. (If you’re looking for a keto option, you might like erythritol like they use in these keto protein balls!)
• Vanilla Extract.It wouldn’t taste like cookie dough to me if there weren’t some vanilla!
• Salt.Also crucial for me. I love the flavor it adds. You can certainly add less if you prefer.
• Mini Chocolate Chips.I almost always use mini chocolate chips instead of the regular size in our paleo cookie dough bites. That way, there’s chocolate in every delicious bite!

How To Make Edible Cookie Dough, Step-By-Step

1. COMBINE. In a medium bowl, combine softened butter, almond flour, 2 Tbsp. syrup, the vanilla, salt, and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. (A food processor can also be used here, you’ll just want to fold in the chocolate chips at the end by hand with a spatula)
2. MIX. Stir to combine until you have a uniform dough. (So long as your butter is softened, this mixture will come together easily!)
3. TASTE & ADJUST. Taste the dough and add more maple syrup or fold in more mini chocolate chips as desired.
4. SCOOP. Use a small cookie scoop to make 1″ cookie dough balls. The dough will be sticky, so a scoop or tablespoon makes this easier.*
5. CHILL. Arrange the cookie dough balls in a single layer and store in the refrigerator 4-5 days or in the freezer up to 2 months. Chill chocolate chip cookie dough for at least 20-30 minutes before eating.

3 Yummy Ways To Enjoy Edible Almond Flour Cookie Dough:

1. On it’s own! This edible cookie dough recipe makes the BEST little sweet treat. My kids sometimes pack one in their lunch, or we’ll enjoy one after dinner. They’re so yummy!
2. Stirred Into Nice Cream. I love making Healthy Cookie Dough Nice Cream with this edible cookie dough recipe. It’s delicious on a hot day or when you’re craving a treat.
3. Added To A Shake! Similarly, you can try stirring cookie dough bites into our Healthy Snickers Shake or something more luscious like a Mocha Milkshake for a delicious treat. I make extra small cookie dough bites for this!

FAQ + Tips & Tricks For The Best Edible Healthy Cookie Dough:

CAN I USE ANOTHER FLOUR INSTEAD? No, I’m sorry. Traditional white flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour are NOT a great choice for this recipe, as raw flour isn’t safe to eat (it can contain bacteria like eColi and salmonella!) and gluten-free flour can also impact the flavor. Coconut flour absorbs too much liquid, and will create a dry crumbly mixture unless you reduce the flour drastically and play with the ratio of liquid to flour. Oat flour is a bit gritty and impacts the flavor. I don’t recommend it.

CAN I FREEZE EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH BITES? Absolutely! Having some healthy cookie dough bites in the freezer is one of my favorite things ever! Simply store them in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container up to 2 months.

CAN I BAKE THIS EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH TO MAKE COOKIES? This healthy cookie dough wasn’t made to be baked. It’s formulated specifically for eating as cookie dough. If baked, the dough would spread, wouldn’t puff correctly, and the cookies likely wouldn’t hold together well. I’d recommend our Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe instead.

SHOP OUR FAVORITE TOOLS + INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH BITES:

⭐ Don’t forget to leave a star review and comment below when you make our Healthy Cookie Dough recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

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