Vegan Cookie Dough Is a Thing

You know how everyone tells you not to eat raw cookie dough? Yeah, yeah you can get sick and with food allergies, eating cookie dough is typically a no no because it usually contains egg. But what if I told you that there is a cookie dough that may be safe for you to eat, raw or cooked? And what if I told you it was also vegan and gluten free? Are you excited now?

I got a request from the San Clemente Cookie Dough Co. to give their products a try. These are single-serving sizes of plant-based cookie dough that come in three flavors- Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle and Chocolate Brownie. I know you must be curious so here my thoughts and the ingredients plus a bit more:

Chocolate Chip I have to say, I was a bit hesitant to try it...I don't know why, just being honest here. I was pleasantly surprised that the texture was good- not gritty, oily or dry. Often with gluten free products, I fear any or all of these as some products try to overcompensate. The chocolate chips had a good flavor and the overall cookie dough itself was reminiscent of a chocolate chip cookie that I had enjoyed as a child. Ingredients include whole grain oat flour, chocolate chips (cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa powder), cane sugar, brown rice syrup, sunflower oil, filtered water, vanilla extract (vanilla bean, alcohol, water), baking soda and sea salt.

Snickerdoodle Without meaning to repeat myself, I am happy to report that the consistency was equally as good. Upon opening a package, I was met with the immediate smell of snickerdoodle including cinnamon and just plain goodness. Never in my life would I have expected to tell people I was eating vegan snickerdoodle cookie dough. Ingredients include whole grain oat flour, cane sugar, filtered water, brown rice syrup, sunflower oil, cinnamon powder, baking soda, vanilla extract (vanilla bean extractives, alcohol and water) and sea salt.

Chocolate Brownie So, sometimes you just want a fudgy brownie and sometimes, you just don't want to prepare it. This is where you open one of these self-serve guys and dig in. The best part (in my opinion) is that having the single-serve size also means a little more portion control and a little less guilt. Of course, some of us may choose to open a second package and I find nothing wrong with that either...it's still better than eating a huge bunch of brownies. Ingredients include whole grain oat flour, cocoa powder, cane sugar, sunflower oil, filtered water, brown rice syrup, baking soda and sea salt.

Additional Thoughts That I Needed To Share

• Definitely scoop worthy and definitely easier to open an already-made container in a pinch when you need a snack or just a fast cookie fix. I mean, if you're going to make a vegan cookie dough, you must make it smell and taste like the cookie dough and this was achieved. 
• I do want to say that each flavor is a distinct flavor and they are not all similar. 
• The single-serve cups are surprisingly filling so I am willing to bet that one would satisfy anyone's cookie dough cravings. However, if that's not the case, absolutely no judgment (please refer back to the above paragraph for the Chocolate Brownie cookie dough). 
• When baking the cookie dough, you may be tempted to bake them longer- DON'T. Follow the directions! They will come out looking as if they aren't baked enough but they will be (no cooking required to eat, remember?). How do I know? Because I did over bake them and they quickly turned too hard to even  bite into...nobody wants to waste a product like that. Be responsible. Read and follow the directions. 
• Allergen Warning- the original packaging contained a warning "The ingredients in this product are processed on machinery that also produces soy and tree nuts." When I reached out to the San Clements Cookie Dough Co., they assured me that the statement on the packaging was originally due to sunflower oil being processed on the same equipment as soy oil. Though it is processed on the same equipment, they have confirmed that scheduled lab tests are performed that verify no cross contamination and that the sunflower oil is void of any chemical residue or protein numbers that would verify contamination. Because they did not want their consumers to be alarmed or confused, new packaging is being printed and the warning will read "Produced on the same equipment as soy" and their products are not produced with any other allergens including nuts of any kind. 

Of Course, A Recipe You know I can't help myself... I love to share how to utilize products in different ways to remind everyone that allergy-friendly foods ARE fun! So, I say, what's better than cookie dough? How about a Cookie Dough Cone! It's the best of both worlds for a frozen treat or you can fill it with allergy-friendly candies or goodies as a party favor. It's super easy (which I always like).

1. Preheat the oven as directed on the San Clements Cookie Dough Co. package
2. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet
3. Spread your choice of cookie dough on an ice cream cone, leaving the bottom uncovered
4. Place upside down on the baking sheet
5. Bake as directed
6. Let it cool
7. Fill and enjoy (or don't fill and enjoy!)

Ready To Find Them? You can read all about them and find out how to get some of their cookie dough into your hands (or mouth) at https://www.sccookiedough.com/ and follow them on Instagram.  Thank you San Clemente Cookie Dough Co. for getting in touch and sending me samples and also for making a product for those who are craving cookie dough but couldn't enjoy it until now. 

As always, never a charge for product reviews other than the products that are sent as my opinions are my own.