This completely safe-to-eat Red Velvet Cookie Dough is a decadent, no-bake treat, with a rich cocoa flavor and plenty of mini chocolate chips in every velvety spoonful.
My journey to this perfect edible Red Velvet Cookie Dough started on a Friday night in our cozy American home. It was family movie night, and the kids were begging to make cookies, mostly for their favorite part: licking the spoons and sneaking bites of raw dough. I’m always hesitant about the raw eggs and flour, which led me to the wonderful world of the edible cookie dough trend, a phenomenon so well-covered by sites like The Kitchn. I decided right then to create a special movie night treat that was completely worry-free. Red velvet felt extra fun and celebratory, and after a few tries, this recipe was born—a rich, vibrant, and utterly delicious cookie dough that’s meant to be eaten with a spoon.
🟫 Why This Is So Good
- Completely Safe to Eat – This recipe is egg-free and uses heat-treated flour, so you and your family can enjoy every spoonful without a single worry.
- Ready in 15 Minutes – With no baking required, this is a super-fast treat that you can whip up in minutes whenever a craving strikes. It’s instant gratification!
- Classic Red Velvet Flavor – It has that signature, subtle cocoa flavor, a hint of vanilla, and a beautiful, vibrant red hue that makes it feel extra special.
- A Fun and Nostalgic Treat – There’s something so joyful and nostalgic about eating cookie dough straight from the bowl. This recipe is a fun activity and a delicious dessert all in one.
The first time I made this for movie night, I brought out the big red bowl and a handful of spoons. The kids’ eyes went wide when I told them they could have as much as they wanted. Their delighted giggles as they dug in were the best review I could have ever asked for. Mark, who is usually my cookie-baking purist, took a spoonful and was genuinely surprised. “Wow, that actually tastes just like the real thing,” he said. This Red Velvet Cookie Dough instantly became our official movie night tradition. A crucial step to making it safe is knowing how to heat-treat your flour, which is surprisingly easy. For more advanced recipes, visit Bake Warely.
🟫 Getting Your Ingredients Right
- The Butter: Use properly softened, room-temperature unsalted butter. This is the key to getting a smooth, creamy texture that isn’t greasy.
- The Cocoa Powder: A good quality, unsweetened cocoa powder is essential for that subtle, authentic red velvet flavor. Don’t use Dutch-process, as it can affect the color.
- The Red Food Coloring: For the most vibrant red color without a bitter aftertaste, I highly recommend using a gel food coloring. It’s much more concentrated than the liquid kind, so a little goes a long way. You can learn more about the different types of food coloring to find what works best for you.
- The Chocolate Chips: Mini chocolate chips are the perfect size for edible cookie dough. They distribute evenly, so you get a little bit of chocolate in every single spoonful of your Red Velvet Cookie Dough.
🟫 Making It Step by Step
First, Make Your Flour Safe
This is the most important step for a worry-free, no-bake treat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the all-purpose flour in a thin, even layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 5-7 minutes. The flour is ready when a kitchen thermometer registers 165°F (74°C). This simple process kills any potential bacteria, making it perfectly safe to eat. Let the flour cool completely before you use it in your Red Velvet Cookie Dough.
Create the Cookie Dough Base
In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This usually takes about 2 minutes. Beat in the milk, vanilla extract, and the red food coloring until the color is vibrant and uniform. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cooled, heat-treated flour, the unsweetened cocoa powder, and the salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix! Finally, stir in the mini chocolate chips with a spatula.
🟫 Making Sure It Turns Out
- Heat-Treat Your Flour: I cannot stress this enough—do not skip this step! It is essential for making the raw flour safe to consume.
- Use Softened Butter: Your butter must be properly softened to room temperature, not melted. Melted butter will result in a greasy, soupy cookie dough.
- Don’t Overmix: Once you add the dry ingredients, mix only until they are just incorporated. Overmixing can make the cookie dough tough.
My first time making edible cookie dough, I was so excited that I used a liquid red food coloring from the back of my pantry. I had to use almost the whole bottle to get a decent color, and the final dough had a strange, slightly bitter chemical aftertaste. It was a classic rookie mistake! That experience taught me that investing in a good quality gel food coloring is worth it for a pure, delicious Red Velvet Cookie Dough flavor.
🟫 Perfect Serving Ideas
This Red Velvet Cookie Dough is absolutely perfect served just as it is, in a small bowl with a spoon for a fun and decadent dessert. You can also roll it into small, bite-sized balls and serve them on a platter for a party, or even mix chunks of it into your favorite vanilla ice cream to create a custom, homemade red velvet cookie dough ice cream.
🟫 Making It Different
Feel free to customize this simple recipe. White chocolate chips are a fantastic substitute for the mini semi-sweet chips and pair beautifully with the red velvet flavor. For a more authentic cheesecake-like flavor, you could even beat in a tablespoon or two of softened cream cheese with the butter. Adding some festive sprinkles would also be a fun touch for a birthday or holiday version.
🟫 Storage and Leftovers
Store your edible Red Velvet Cookie Dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. The dough will become firm when chilled. You can either let it sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes to soften up, or just enjoy it cold right from the fridge (which is secretly my favorite way!).
🟫 Tips That Actually Help
- Sift Your Dry Ingredients: For the smoothest, most velvety cookie dough, sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt together after the flour has cooled.
- Let the Flour Cool Completely: Make sure your heat-treated flour has cooled to room temperature before adding it to your butter and sugar mixture. Hot flour can melt the butter and ruin the texture.
- Start with Less Food Coloring: You can always add more red food coloring, but you can’t take it away. Start with a smaller amount and add more until you reach your desired vibrant hue.
The simple act of sifting the dry ingredients together was a real game-changer for me. My first few batches had little streaks of brown from the cocoa powder that didn’t fully incorporate. Taking that extra minute to sift everything ensures a perfectly uniform, vibrant red color and an ultra-smooth texture. It’s the little detail that makes this Red Velvet Cookie Dough look as good as it tastes.
This Red Velvet Cookie Dough recipe has brought so much simple joy and fun to our family nights. It’s a quick, easy, and worry-free way to indulge in a nostalgic treat that makes everyone feel like a kid again. It’s a bowl full of happiness, and I truly hope it becomes a new favorite in your home too.
🟫 Frequently Asked Questions
→ Do I really have to heat-treat the flour? Yes, absolutely. Raw flour can carry harmful bacteria like E. coli. Heat-treating it is a quick and essential step to ensure your edible cookie dough is safe to eat.
→ Can I bake this cookie dough? This recipe is not formulated for baking. It lacks eggs and leavening agents like baking soda, so the cookies would not spread or rise properly. It’s designed to be enjoyed raw.
→ Can I freeze this Red Velvet Cookie Dough? Yes! You can store it in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator before enjoying.
→ What if I don’t have mini chocolate chips? Regular-sized chocolate chips will work just fine. You could also chop up a chocolate bar for a different texture.
→ Is there a substitute for red food coloring? For a natural alternative, you could try a small amount of beet powder, but it may impart a subtle earthy flavor and won’t be as vibrant.
→ Why is my cookie dough greasy? This usually happens if your butter was too soft or melted. Make sure your butter is at a proper room temperature—soft enough to indent with your finger, but not shiny or oily.
Print
Red Velvet Cookie Dough
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A completely safe-to-eat, no-bake Red Velvet Cookie Dough that’s rich, velvety, and ready in minutes.
Ingredients
→ For the Cookie Dough:
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon red food coloring (gel recommended)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat-Treat Flour: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the flour on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes, until it reaches 165°F (74°C). Let it cool completely. This step is mandatory for safety.
- Cream Butter & Sugars: In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in the milk, vanilla extract, and red food coloring until well combined and the color is vibrant.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the cooled, heat-treated flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Finish Dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
- Serve: Serve your Red Velvet Cookie Dough immediately with a spoon, or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Heat-Treat Flour is a MUST: Do not skip this step. It is essential to kill any potential bacteria and make the dough safe to eat.
- Use Gel Food Coloring: For the best, most vibrant red color without any bitter aftertaste, gel food coloring is highly recommended over liquid.
- Use Softened Butter: Ensure your butter is properly softened to room temperature, not melted, for the perfect creamy texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dessert, No-Bake
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 40g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
Keywords: Red Velvet Cookie Dough
