Remember when you were a teenager and you'd get together with your friends to make cookies? And you wound up eating half the cookie dough before you even got the first batch out of the oven? Okay, well maybe that was just me, but it sure was tasty.
Don't eat that
Fast forward a few years and all of a sudden we were being told not to eat cookie dough because it contained raw eggs and those could be a source of salmonella poisoning. I'll confess that when I was a kid I ate it anyway because I loved it so much. But then when I had kids I wouldn't let them eat it because somehow it was okay if I got sick but not if they did. So I figured out how to make cookie dough without the eggs.
Then we were told not to eat any raw cookie dough (even without the eggs) because raw flour could be a source of e. coli. That was a bummer. It was also the end of the raw cookie dough in our house.
Going gluten-free
Over time I changed my diet, going gluten-free and reducing the amount of sugar and sugary foods I ate. Giving up the cookies wasn't too difficult. It turns out that as good as I am at baking regular bread, cakes, and cookies, when it came to gluten-free it was more of a challenge. One that for the most part I wasn't interested in trying to figure out. It was easier to give it up or to buy what I wanted from the Gluten-Free Sourdough Company.
In spite of making healthy changes, I confess that every now and then I'd have a secret, sneaky craving for cookie dough. Then one day I was having a conversation with my sister-in-law who told me about a raw cookie dough recipe she had eaten that was made with chickpeas and peanut butter. She couldn't find the recipe but just knowing it was made with chickpeas was enough to get me started. I began to experiment and eventually hit on the recipe listed below.
The day I came up with the final version my editor for my book The Pantry Principle was visiting. She wanted to know what I was making. I told her it was a healthy version of raw cookie dough and offered her a spoonful right out of the Cuisinart. She loved it! We both dove in with spoons, it was kind of like a return to my high school days.
Cookie dough is popular again
Fast forward yet again and once again raw cookie dough seems to be a big thing. There are companies, cafes, and cookie dough bars opening all over the country. The Minnesota State Fair has even added raw cookie dough to the list of foods available at the fair. I imagine it won't be long before other state fairs follow suit, I fully expect to see it at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show next year. The problem is that what's available commercially seems to be made with regular flour (making it a non-option for those who need to eat gluten-free). Commercial options are also high in sugar and definitely, need to be consumed in strict moderation. What I love about my recipe is that because it's made with chickpeas it's got some protein. Don't get me wrong, it still has sugar (especially in those chocolate chips), but I've cut the sugar down to as little as possible making this an option that is as healthy as I think I can make it.
If you're seeing news blurbs about cookie dough and feeling a sense of nostalgia (and a desire to make cookies just so you can eat the dough) consider making my No-Flour Cookie Dough. Just be aware that this recipe does not bake into cookies, it's meant to be enjoyed raw.
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
- 1 tablespoon evaporated cane juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- generous pinch sea salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Combine first five ingredients in food processor until mixed well
- Scoop into a bowl and add chocolate chips by hand
- Spoon into ramekins or mini-muffin cups and chill 2 hours before serving
- -- or enjoy with a spoon straight out of the bowl 😉
