One of the fundamental principles taught in English 101 is the essay “thesis statement”–that’s your stance on an issue, your argument, your point of view. When I first learned how to craft a thesis, my professor was very clear: never choose a topic related to life-or-death issues, because the goal of the essay is to convince someone of your viewpoint, and it’s virtually impossible to shift someone’s opinion when it comes to topics like capital punishment, abortion, or whether or not God exists.
Instead, he advised, choose a subject where people may hold a position but are still open to change, such as whether or not drinking coffee is bad for you, whether dogs are better pets than cats, or whether Julia Roberts is grossly overrated as an actress. (Okay, that last one doesn’t count, since we all know that Julia Roberts is grossly overrated as an actress.).
When it comes to eating raw cookie dough, people’s opinions seem to be just as polarized as they are on those life or death issues. In one camp, you have people who find the practice repugnant (well, hello, HH), and would never think to let a drop of raw dough pass through their lips.
Others, like me, actually prefer the raw batter to the baked cookies. We have no idea how many cookies our recipes actually yield, because at least half the bowlful is consumed before any of it hits the cookie sheet.
When my sisters and I were young, we’d all hover around my mom as she stirred up her cookie dough, drifting in and out of range but never straying too far out, like balloons tethered to a picnic table. As soon as she scooped the final cookie, we’d swoop in and the negotiations began.
“If you get the bowl, then I get the wooden spoon and the beaters.”
“No waaaaay!”
“Well, it’s not fair if you get the spatula! There were more chocolate chips left on the spatula!”
“But you got the spoon! And anyway, you can just have an extra cookie.”
“I don’t want an extra cookie. I want extra dough. Waaaahhhh. . . . . ”
Sometimes, if we were stealthy enough, we’d manage to grab a raw blob of dough right off the sheet and pop it in our mouths before my mother noticed.
As soon as I was old enough to bake my own cookies, I reveled in being able to eat all the dough I wanted. And then, once I shifted to a vegan diet, well, there was simply no stopping me (no salmonella to worry about! no sisters with whom to argue! no one to reprimand me for double dipping!).
As an undergrad living in residence, I believed I’d hit the jackpot (though later realized it was just the opposite) with a room mate who also loved raw cookie dough; we’d buy bags of Quaker Oats instant chocolate chip oatmeal cookie mix, stir it up in a bowl, and. . . eat. (I know. But hey, at least we weren’t doing drugs. Unless you count sugar as a drug).
Although I’ve converted to a much healthier way of eating these days, I never lost my love of raw cookie dough. But how to create something that was “safe” on an anti-candida diet, grain-free, low glycemic, high protein–and that still tasted like cookie dough?
Well, my friends, I am delighted to tell you, this is it.
Last week, I posted a quick photo on Facebook of my food processor in the testing phases of this recipe. Wow, the reaction was instant! It looks like I’m not the only one who loves to snack on cookie dough.
Not only is this cookie dough grain-free and high protein with no added oil, it’s also got a texture like. . . cookie dough. While I’ve concocted cookie dough recipes before, they always contained grains or added oil to impart that rich, smooth, creamy mouthfeel. With this batch, I’ve accomplished all that, without even adding natural sweeteners beyond stevia.
I’ve been dipping into this snack all week. Clearly, I still love my cookie dough! And the best part? As I said, the HH isn’t a fan . . . so no sharing required.
Last Year at this Time: Faux Kombucha (gluten free; ACD all stages)
Two Years Ago: Freeform Blueberry “Cream Cheese” Danish (gluten free; ACD Stage 3 and beyond)
Three Years Ago: Layered Mexican Casserole (gluten free; ACD 2 and beyond)
Five Years Ago: Mint Smoothie (gluten free; ACD 3 and beyond, or use stevia for all stages)
Grain-Free, High Protein Raw Cookie Dough Snack
The combination of applesauce and stevia provides just the right amount of sweetness for my palate. If you prefer a sweeter mix, simply add 1-2 tablespoons of agave, coconut sugar, or sweetener of choice to the processor bowl before adding the chips.
2 cups (480 ml) well cooked navy beans, chickpeas or white kidney beans, or a combination (I used half navy beans and half chickpeas)
1/4 cup (60 ml) natural smooth almond butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) canned full-fat coconut milk (or a bit more, as needed)
1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) mesquite powder or lucuma powder
2 Tbsp (30 ml) coconut flour
1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
1 Tbsp (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/8-1/4 tsp (.5-1 ml) pure stevia powder, to your taste
fine sea salt, to your taste
1/3 cup (80 ml) cacao nibs, unsweetened carob chips, or dairy free chocolate chips
In a food processor, blend everything except the cacao nibs until smooth and creamy. If necessary, add 1-2 more tablespoons (15-30 ml) coconut milk to achieve a smooth, frosting-like consistency.
Add the cacao nibs and pulse to incorporate and chop up the nibs a bit. Taste and add more salt and/or stevia as needed. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Makes about 3 cups (720 ml).
Note: the mixture will thicken up after being refrigerated for a few hours. If you prefer a thicker cookie dough, chill for at least 4 hours to allow to firm up. If the texture is still not to your liking at that point, add up to 2 tsp (10 ml) more coconut flour.
Suitable for: ACD Stage 2 and beyond, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, vegan, low glycemic.
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any ideas on what to use instead of the beans?
my tums cannot handle beans 🙁
Zosia, this recipe relies on the beans, unfortunately, to provide the bulk of the recipe. If you’re just looking for a cookie dough snack, though, then any vegan dough will do–they can all be eaten safely raw! I personally LOVED this carob cookie dough raw, but this grain-free cashew chocolate chip was pretty spectacular, too. I’d try one of those. 🙂
Oh Ricki Heller… I think I love you!! 😉 I just might have cheat on the apple sauce. How do you think this would taste without the mesquite or lucuma powder? I need to get some eventually, but just haven’t been able to yet. Thank you for the recipe!!
Hugs,
Megan
Megan, you could go with carob powder instead of the mesquite–not identical, but still delicious. And if you do skip the applesauce, add a little liquid or oil to compensate, plus just a *tiny* bit more stevia. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂 (PS I love you, too). 😀
You always have such a unique mix of ingredients, Ricki! That’s what I love about your recipes. I bet this one’s delicious! I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks so much, Nicole! Well, I certainly thought it was delish, anyway! 🙂 I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think!
I never was a big cookie dough fan, but never too late, right?
That’s the spirit, I say! Never too late for lots of things. . . like traveling across the country to a super-cool and exciting conference, for example! 😉
Looks good, Ricki!
Just wanted to point out the “nut-free” label in the “suitable for:” line is not true, since you used almond butter. I bet sunflower butter could be a decent sub though.
YIKES!! Sloppy editing on my part–so sorry! Will take it out stat. And you’re right–sunflowerseed butter (and also tahini) work really well as a sub in this recipe. (I had to test, of course). 😉
2 words: crazy delicious!
I can’t wait to try this. It looks incredible!
Thanks, Cheryl! I hope you love it. (I did.). 😀
Hi Ricki, this may seem like a strange question … but could these be baked as … say … cookies?
Hi Judith,
Not a silly question at all. . . I actually DID try to bake them, and they were edible, but just. 😉 This particular mix of ingredients really was formulated to taste best raw! I do have lots of other cookie recipes (intended to be baked) on the blog, though. . . ! 🙂
I used to argue over beaters and bowl too with my siblings. I have always liked cookie dough for the naughtiness of eating it when it should be going in the oven – the idea of making it just to eat it seems to take all the fun away – though I can imagine dipping into it when I shouldn’t.
Oh, take my word for it–it is still lots of fun to eat. 😉
YUM! My mom’s mixer had two beaters. One for me and one for my brother to lick. I LOVE cookie dough and will love this recipe. Thanks so much!!
So funny how many people had that same experience! 🙂 I hope you enjoy this!
Oh Ricki, this looks amazing!
Thanks, Erica! Guilt-free (and share-free) 😉
What is mesquite or lucuma powder? I have never heard of it. Is there something that can be substituted for it? Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Hi Jill,
Thanks for your comment! They are both considered “superfoods” and come in a powdered form. Both add a certain subtle caramel or butterscotch flavor. You can see the mesquite here, and the lucuma here. Another good sub with a slightly different flavor is carob powder. If you can’t find any of those, try adding another flavoring, such as peppermint extract, orange, etc.! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
This sounds just divine! I can imagine the richness imparted by the coconut milk, and the lovely flavor of the lucuma. I’m absolutely going to have to make this!
Thanks so much, Jodye! Let me know what you think if you do give it a try! 🙂
Ricki!!! This looks absolutely phenomenal!! I am wondering if I could use coconut butter in place of the almond since my youngest has a tree nut allergy, what do you think? Can’t use soynut butter as my oldest has a soy allergy.
Aw, thanks, Brenda! 😀 I actually *did* use coconut butter in an earlier version, and it tasted great. Just keep in mind that coconut butter will solidify much harder than almond butter, so you’ll need to add a little extra coconut milk to compensate or the dough will be very firm, even at room temps! I also tried it with sunflower seed butter and it worked, but personally I find the taste a little strong. Tahini (sesame seed butter) is another option. Play and see which you like best (and then come back and tell me how it worked so I can add a note to the recipe!) 😀
I had two younger sisters, so Mom would give two of us the beaters and the third one would get the spoon and what was let in the bowl. Of course we had to rotate, lol! Anyway, can’t wait to make this this weekend…thanks Ricki!
That sounds fair! My mother never thought to rotate. . . we just duked it out each time! 😉
Ricki,
Your recipes are so darn creative. My goodness. This looks so amazing! I can’t believe white beans are hiding in there! I can’t wait to make this, Ricki. I just made some homemade almond butter. 🙂
Have a great weekend.
-Amber
Glad you like it, Amber! LOVE almond butter, too! I’ve been experimenting with lots of variations lately. . . so much fun. 🙂
mom never let me eat it as a kid, so i like to think i’m making up for lost time now 😉 i think cara has made something similar, which i tried and loved, so this will be up soon!
Oh, you poor thing! 😉 Glad you’re making up for lost time. I don’t remember Cara’s recipe (must go check it out!), but I know this type of thing seems to be everywhere lately. . . I did an earlier, raisin-oatmeal cookie dough version, on VegNews a while back. 🙂
I was giggling all the way through this! I can relate to everything you said about your relationship to cookie dough! This recipe sounds absolutely perfect. Although my partner is never out-right judgey when he sees me sneak a spoonful (or three) of dough, I will feel even better about making this when he goes out of town for work this week. ; )
Always glad to know we weren’t the only ones obsessed with cookie dough! Hope you enjoy this one–have a great weekend! 😀
DAMN that looks good, Ricki! If the girls see this photo, I’m in trouble. 😉
Ha ha ha!! Why trouble? I’d say a batch of this would keep them occupied for *at least* half an hour. . . ! 😉
Sounds amazing! How strong is the stevia taste? I find it often has a way to stay prominent or linger, which I do not enjoy.
Christine, to my tastebuds, the stevia isn’t strong at all. That may be because I’m so used to it, but I think it has more to do with the brand. I use NuNaturals, which has the best flavor and no aftertaste, in my experience. Of course, if you’re okay with other sweeteners (I was trying to keep this one low, low, low glycemic), you can always add in some coconut sugar, agave, or maple syrup instead! 🙂
So excited and happy about this! But do you think I can use my vitamix instead of a food processor for this? I don’t have the latter anymore and am always trying to find ways to justify my purchase of the former. 🙂
K, thanks for your comment. 🙂 Honestly, I’m not sure how it would work in a Vitamix, unless you did it in smaller batches and used the slowest setting to avoid liquefying it. That would be my best guess! It would still taste yummy, though. Let me know how it works out if you decide to try it that way! 🙂
Hmm, I’m still not down with the sweet bean dips, but this does look amazing!
Don’t think of it as a bean dip. Think of it as cookie dough (because that’s what it tastes like!!). 😀
Looks so yummy! Any low fat substitutes for the coconut milk and almond butter? What is considered a serving?? 🙂
Hi Jenny,
Thanks so much for your comment, and for visiting! I suppose you could use low-fat coconut milk if you wished. I honestly don’t think there’s a suitable sub for the almond butter, since it’s really the main “richness” contributor to this recipe; without it, the “dough” would be much dryer and much less palatable. I didn’t determine servings because everyone is different, but I would guess a standard amount would be 1/4-1/3 cup (60-80 ml). And note that there is only about 1 tsp (5 ml) of almond butter in that serving size, so not really an excessive amount! 🙂
I’ve changed my mind. For our summer dinner, we can give the HH something savoury, but you and I will just curl up with a big bowl of this, two spoons, and endless hours in which to chatter away, right? Right. xo
Do you even have to ask? 😉
Oh wow! Ricki, I just made this and it is so delicious – I love cookie dough, but I’m not that fond of cookies themselves…I like squidgey food too much hahah!!!
I made it in my vitamix and it worked perfectly, even though I subbed soy milk for the applesauce…SO THICK!
The excess of exclamation marks is proof of my delight – thanks for yet another amazing recipe! xx
Whaaa?!?! Navy Beans! How interesting 🙂
Lovely work! Would you be happy to link it in to the current Food on Friday which is collecting snacks and treats? This is the link . I do hope to see you there. Cheers
Thanks for the invite, Carole! Sure, see you there. 🙂
Thanks for adding this to the treats table. I hope to see you again soon. Cheers
Just made this! AWESOME!!! This brought back a lot of memories for me. I used to fight with my siblings over the beaters and the bowl and the spatula!!
I ran out of apple sauce so I used a whole apple instead and had to increase the coconut milk just a wee bit. And you’re right – the tahini works great!!
So glad you liked it, Connie! 😀 Glad I wasn’t the only one who had those batter-fights. (That may be the only disadvantage to this recipe–no beaters!!) 😉 And I do really enjoy the tahini in here, too. Thanks for letting me know!
Can I cook these? B/c……I didn’t have any cooked beans and wanted to ‘just make this’ with chickea flour, then wondered if I should’ve eaten it raw, and read that it may cause stomach irritation… So…lol, what to do to salvage? Add baking soda and some flax ‘eggs’ and call em cookies? 😀 Possible?
Hi Christina,
You could certainly try baking the “dough” that way. . . sounds like it might work. I’ve never done it, so let me know how it turns out!
I’m out of coconut flour. Could I use almond flour?
Hi Alcia, It should work–maybe a slightly different texture and flavor, but still good! 🙂