The Best Edible Lemon Cookie Dough Recipe

Most, if not all, of us ate raw cookie dough as children. We were just too impatient to wait for it to cook before digging in or, at the very least, scraping the sides of the bowl clean with our fingers.

The funny thing is, I wouldn’t be surprised if most of us still do it as adults. How can you resist?!

But now, with this edible cookie dough recipe, you can indulge all you want in the incredible texture and flavor of lemon sugar cookie dough without the potentially harmful side effects of eating raw eggs or raw flour.

Since you are here and love a lemon cookie recipe, check out this Soft Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe, these Lemon Snowball Cookies, or this Crumbl Lemon Cheesecake Cookie Recipe.

Ingredients for this edible lemon cookie dough recipe

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this no-bake treat. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the detailed ingredient measurements. 

• All-Purpose Flour: Raw flour contains natural bacteria that can be dangerous if eaten raw. We’ll have you heat-treat the flour first to make it safe to eat.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter so that we can add salt separately later on. You will also want the butter to be softened so pull it out of the fridge 30 minutes before preparing the recipe.
• Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar: adds a touch of sweetness to the cookie dough.
• Fresh Lemon Juice and Fresh Lemon Zest: gives this bland cookie dough its bright lemon flavor.
• Vanilla Extract: adds a touch of flavor to balance out the lemon.
• White Chocolate Chips: or chocolate chunks are optional but do add a nice additional flavor and texture to the lemon to make it really taste like chewy lemon cookies.
• Salt:​ balances out the sweetness while enhancing all of the other flavors.

How to make this edible lemon cookie dough recipe

This is how you can make perfect cookie dough. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post for the full step-by-step instructions! 

Heat-treat the Flour

Spread the flour evenly on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 5-7 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the flour reaches 160°F. Let it cool completely.

Make the Lemon Cookie Dough

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until well combined.
3. Add the cooled-down heat-treated flour and salt to the wet ingredients, mixing until combined. The flour mixture may be crumbly at first. Add in ½ tablespoon lemon juice at a time until the dough is soft just like regular cookie dough.
4. Gently fold in the chocolate chunks if using until evenly distributed.
5. Enjoy the edible lemon cookie dough!

Recipe Tip

You can substitute semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks based on your preference. For an extra lemony kick, you can add a drop or two of lemon extract along with the vanilla extract. Make sure to let the flour cool completely before adding it to the dough to avoid melting the butter.

Why you need to make this recipe!

• This is one of the best lemon desserts you will ever have as it brings back all of the nostalgic cookie dough memories.
• Skip the oven heat of baked cookies and enjoy this easy cookie dough instead.
• It’s the perfect way to satisfy hungry, sugar-craving children in least amount of time.
• Great to make in advance in large batches for large group

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ

How to store leftover edible lemon cookie dough

To store, simply put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can make it last even longer by laying a sheet of plastic wrap snug on top of the dough to prevent it being exposed to the air in the container.

Can I use regular flour without heat-treating it?

It is not recommended to use regular, untreated flour in edible cookie dough due to the risk of bacterial contamination. Always heat-treat flour to ensure it is safe to consume.

I know what you are gonna say, we all had raw flour in cookie dough that was supposed to be baked and I get that for the most part we didn’t get sick but in this recipe you would be consuming larger amounts of raw cookie dough and we don’t want to be that one in 20’000/50’000!

What ingredients can I substitute?

You can make some substitutions based on dietary preferences or available ingredients. For example:

• Use dairy-free butter to make the recipe vegan.
• Make it an orange cookie dough or even a lime cookie dough by subbing the citrus fruit that you decide to use.
• Use a gluten-free flour blend instead of all-purpose flour for a gluten-free version.

Can I bake this cookie dough?

Unfortunately, no. This edible lemon cookie dough recipe is formulated to be eaten raw, so it will not bake into a proper cookie because it does not have eggs or baking powder, which is necessary for the cookie structure.

You will not be able to add these ingredients in later because they will not mix evenly and you might over-mix the dough which will cause the flour to activate its gluten which would make mess up the cookie texture.

Why does my cookie dough taste too floury?

This could be due to using unheated flour or not measuring the flour correctly. Make sure to heat-treat the flour and measure it accurately using a kitchen scale or the spoon-and-level method.

Why is my cookie dough to dry or wet?

If the dough is too dry, you might need to add a bit more liquid (like lemon juice or milk). If it’s too wet, add a bit more heat-treated flour until you reach the desired consistency.

The Best Edible Lemon Cookie Dough Recipe

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