Enjoy the delicious taste and soft, gooey texture of red velvet cookie dough! This edible cookie dough is perfectly safe to eat raw and laced with white chocolate chips in every bite. All you need is a handful of pantry staples and 10 minutes – so grab a spoon and dig in!
The best edible red velvet cookie dough
Have you ever been whipping up a batch of red velvet cookies and wished you could just eat the cookie dough directly from the bowl? Sure you have. We all have.
And with my edible red velvet cookie dough recipe, you can do just that. The dough is perfectly safe to eat and tastes so delicious!
And the best part? This easy no-bake dessert only takes about 10 minutes and a few pantry staples to prepare. The result is a sweet, soft cookie dough full of classic red velvet flavor and white chocolate chips.
Ingredients
I love that this uses such basic ingredients. If you don’t have buttermilk, scroll to the tips section, where I’ll show you how to make buttermilk at home. Complete quantities are located in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour makes up the bulk of this red velvet cookie dough recipe and is the only part of this recipe that will need to be heated. You can use regular or bleached AP flour, or gluten-free flour if you like.
- Cocoa powder: A touch of cocoa powder creates that classic red velvet flavor.
- Salted butter works great here, but you could also use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt. Be sure to soften the butter so it can be creamed into a delicious smooth dough.
- Sugar: A mix of light brown sugar and white granulated sugar sweetens up this cookie dough perfectly.
- Buttermilk is a must for proper red velvet cookie dough. It replaces the moisture that eggs typically provide and gives a subtle tang.
- Red food coloring is responsible for the beautiful red color. I used gel paste food coloring, but liquid food coloring is fine too.
- Vanilla extract adds depth of flavor and that delicious cookie aroma.
- White chocolate chips (optional) are really good to give your edible cookie dough some texture. Of course, milk or semisweet chocolate chips are delicious options as well.
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale or measuring cups + spoons to measure the ingredients.
- Mixing bowl to cream the butter and sugar and mix the dough.
- Hand mixer to combine the ingredients and create a smooth edible dough.
- Rubber spatula to scrape the bowl and fold in the chocolate chips.
How to make red velvet cookie dough
No need to fire up the oven – a mixing bowl and mixer are all you need to make this tasty red velvet cookies dough. And the steps couldn’t be simpler!
- Heat treat flour. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C / gas mark 4. Evenly spread the flour onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until the flour registers 160°F / 70°C on an instant-read thermometer. Set aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cream butter and sugars. Add the softened butter, sugars, and red food coloring to a medium mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add liquids. Mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons buttermilk and vanilla extract.
- Incorporate dry ingredients. Add the flour and cocoa powder. With the mixer on low, blend until just combined. Add more buttermilk, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, as needed to adjust the texture.
- Fold in chocolate chips. Using a rubber spatula or spoon, fold in the white chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Your red velvet cookie dough is ready!
Tips and tricks
- Make your own buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, stir together 1/4 cup whole milk and 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes to thicken, and voila, homemade buttermilk.
- Let the flour cool before mixing the dough: Once baked or microwaved, the flour will be hot and could melt the butter. So let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes after heat-treating.
- Adjust the texture as needed: If the dough seems too crumbly, add a little more buttermilk until your desired consistency. And if the dough seems too soft or wet, just add another tablespoon of flour. Since the dough isn’t baked, you have more flexibility with the recipe.
- Refrigerate to reduce graininess: As the recipe uses raw granulated sugar, you might experience some graininess (like you do in cookie dough). Chilling the dough can help to reduce this effect a bit. Beating the butter and sugar well helps too.
- Adjust servings: The recipe makes enough for 6 servings. If you want to serve more people, double or triple the ingredients. And to create fewer servings, cut the amounts in half.
Variations
White chocolate chips are my favorite mix-ins for red velvet cookie dough, but there are plenty of ways to customize this edible cookie dough recipe.
- Make it tangy: The recipe has a subtle tanginess. If you prefer a more intense flavor, you might want to add 1/8 tsp apple cider vinegar to increase the tang.
- Swap the coloring: Instead of red, use pink to create pink velvet cookie dough, blue for blue velvet cookie dough, or black food coloring for Halloween-themed black velvet cookie dough.
- Sprinkles are a fun way to customize the look of your edible cookie dough. White, pink, and other light-colored sprinkles will look great. Try nonpareils, jimmies, or heart-shaped sprinkles. I recommend adding the sprinkles more of a garnish so they don’t melt into the dough.
- M&M’s + candies: Stir M&M’s or your favorite chopped-up candy bars into the cookie dough.
- Cookies: For a little crunch, fold a few crushed Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, shortbread, or Biscoff cookies into the dough.
- Vegan: For vegan red velvet cookie dough, use margarine and plant-based milk such as almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. You also want to make sure to use vegan chocolate chips.
FAQ
Is it safe to eat red velvet cookie dough?
Yes! Since there are no raw eggs in the dough and the flour is heat treated to eliminate any harmful bacteria, this recipe is totally safe to eat. You can serve this cookie dough recipe to kids and adults without worrying about anyone becoming sick.
Can edible red velvet cookie dough be cooked?
Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it. There are no eggs and leavening (like baking powder or baking soda) in the dough, so the texture will be off and the cookies will turn out flat.
How do I heat-treat flour?
Because most flour is considered a raw ingredient, it’s a good idea to heat it to remove harmful germs that could cause food poisoning (such as e-coli).
To heat treat flour, measure out the required amount (plus a little extra because the flour will shrink). Then spread the flour onto a lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350°F / 180°C / gas mark 4 for 5 minutes.
Storage instructions
How to store red velvet cookie dough
Keep your edible cookie dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The dough will firm up in the fridge, so divide it into single-serving containers, or scoop out however much you want to eat. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to soften before eating.
Freeze red velvet cookie dough
Form the dough into one large ball or several smaller balls to freeze this treat. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap. Then place in a Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
You can enjoy the dough semi-frozen or let it thaw at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.
Red Velvet Cookie Dough Recipe
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Enjoy the delicious taste and soft, gooey texture of red velvet cookie dough! This edible cookie dough is perfectly safe to eat raw and laced with white chocolate chips in every bite. All you need is a handful of pantry staples and 10 minutes – so grab a spoon and dig in!
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup / 160 g / 5.6 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup / 1 stick / 115 g / 4 oz salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup / 100 g / 3.5 oz packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup / 65 g / 2.3 oz white granulated sugar
- red food coloring
- 1 1/2 tbsp buttermilk, then more as needed
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup / 80 g / 2.8 oz white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat treat flour. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C / gas mark 4. Evenly spread the flour onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until the flour registers 160°F / 70°C on an instant-read thermometer. Set aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cream butter and sugars. Add the softened butter, sugars, and red food coloring to a medium mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add liquids. Mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Incorporate dry ingredients. Add the flour and cocoa powder. With the mixer on low, blend until just combined. Add more buttermilk, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, as needed to adjust the texture. - Fold in chocolate chips. Using a rubber spatula or spoon, fold in the white chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Your red velvet cookie dough is ready!
- Store. Store the cookie dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will be good for up to 5 days. Please note that it will firm up because the butter solidifies in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature before enjoying.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 309Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 110mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 3g
Reasons to love edible red velvet cookie dough
- Safe to enjoy: This treat is perfectly safe to eat raw. We’re making edible cookie dough without any eggs that could carry icky things like salmonella. Plus, we heat-treat the flour by pre-baking or microwaving it.
- Classic red velvet flavor: Just like your favorite red velvet cookie, this dough has a hint of cocoa, buttermilk, white chocolate chips, and sugar in the perfect ratio to make it sweet but not too sweet. As written, the tang is mild in this recipe, but you can absolutely add a touch of vinegar if you want it tangier.
- Customizable: You can add all sorts of mix-ins to this homemade red velvet cookie – chocolate chips, sprinkles, chopped chocolate, or candy. You can even make it vegan with plant-based milk and dairy-free butter.
- Minimal dishes: You’ll need a small baking sheet, your mixer, one bowl, a spatula or a spoon. I love easy dessert recipes that don’t require lots of clean-up!
More red velvet recipes
Red velvet is always an excellent choice for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or whenever the craving hits. It’s sweet and decadent, and whit so many different treats and desserts, it’s hard to get tired of this classic flavor. Here are a few more yummy red velvet desserts to try:
- Easy Red Velvet Loaf
- Red Velvet Banana Pudding
- Red Velvet Pancakes
- Tasty Red Velvet Muffins
- Red Velvet Latte
