Eggs-actly!

In the raw cookie dough debate - Is it a “do” or a “don't?” - Lindsay Landis stands by her right to lick the bowl.

“You can't make a batch of chocolate chip cookies without testing the batter,” she says.

But for every person who loves sneaking a spoonful of cookie dough, there are those who cry foul, pointing out that the uncooked eggs could contain Salmonella or other harmful bacteria.

So Landis takes eggs out of the equation.

A food blogger in Tennessee, Landis posted a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles on her blog (Loveandoliveoil.com) in January 2010. The recipe features chocolate chip cookie dough made without eggs.

It remains her most popular post, proving that she isn't the only one who no longer craves chocolate chip cookies after “testing” the dough.

“One day I thought ‘Someone should write a cookbook with nothing but cookie dough recipes,'” Landis says.

So she did.

“The Cookie Dough Lovers Cookbook: Cookies, Cakes, Candies, and More” (Quirk Books; June 5, 2012) features more than 50 cookie dough recipes.

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There's the always popular chocolate chip, of course. Landis also includes sugar, oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookie dough recipes.

Creating the egg-free dough was easy, says Landis. She replaces the eggs with milk, which gives the dough the texture you expect without the risk of food-borne illness.

Developing recipes that feature the dough took more time – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge was her greatest challenge – but not as long as you may think.

“It took four months, maybe, from start to finish,” she says.

Landis, who also took the photographs featured in her cookbook, had help from her husband, Taylor Hackbarth, who also blogs with her at “love & olive oil.”

“He washed his fair share of dishes,” Landis says. “It definitely was a project that included a lot of sugar. We were both craving salads.”

Yet Landis claims she never grew tired of cookie dough.

“I don't think that's possible,” she says, laughing.

Landis makes the transition from the sweet to the savory in her new cookbook, “Breakfast for Dinner: Recipes for Frittata Florentine, Huevos Rancheros, Sunny-Side Up Burgers, and More!”

Co-authored by Hackbarth, the pair recently submitted the book's final edits to their publisher. It will be released in February 2013.

“We cook together all the time and the blog is a reflection of that,” Landis says. “We just love being in the kitchen.”

Recipes by Landis:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Yield: 3 to 4 dozen

Recipe ingredients:

--- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

--- 1 teaspoon salt

--- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

--- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, room temperature

--- 3/4 cup granulated sugar

--- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

--- 1 teaspoon vanilla

--- 1/3 cup mik or soy milk

--- 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

--- 14 ounces dark chocolate candy coating

Beat butter and sugars and in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add soymilk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.

When dough is firm enough to handle (it may help to lightly flour your hands), form dough into 1” balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place sheets in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate candy coating in a double boiler or in microwave according to package directions. Using forks or a dipping tool, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Tap fork on side of pan to remove any excess coating, and return to waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until set. Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Cookie Dough Crispy Treats

Yield: 24 treats

Cookie dough recipe ingredients:

--- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

--- 1/4 cup granulated sugar

--- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

--- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

--- 1/4 cup milk or cream

--- 11/4 cups all-purpose flour

--- 1/4 teaspoon salt

--- 3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Crispy treats recipe ingredients:

--- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

--- 12 ounces marshmallows (about 44 regular or 7 cups mini marshmallows)

--- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

--- 7 cups crisp rice cereal

Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla and milk. Mix in flour and salt and beat on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Melt butter and marshmallows together in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Fold in cereal, gently stirring until completely coated.

Press half of the cereal mixture into prepared pan. Spread with cookie dough and then top with remaining cereal, carefully pressing into an even layer. (You may find it easier to use your hands for this step; if so, generously butter them beforehand so the cereal mixture doesn't stick to your fingers). Cut into squares. Treats can be stored, loosely covered in the refrigerator, up to 3 days but are best enjoyed within a day of making them.

Cookie Dough Cream Pie

Crust recipe ingredients:

--- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

--- 2 tablespoons almond meal (optional, for added flavor)

--- 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 7 ounces of cookies, finely ground in a food processor)

Cookie dough recipe ingredients:

--- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

--- 1/4 cup granulated sugar

--- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

--- 2 tablespoons milk or cream

--- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

--- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

--- 1/2 teaspoon salt

--- 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Cream filling recipe ingredients:

--- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

--- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

--- 1/4 teaspoon salt

--- 2 cups whole milk, divided

--- 3 egg yolks

--- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

--- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped topping recipe ingredients:

--- 1 cup heavy cream

--- 3 tablespoons sugar

--- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350ºF. To make the crust, mix together melted butter, almond meal (if using), and cookie crumbs with a fork until uniformly moistened. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake 8 minutes, or until set. Cool completely.

To prepare cookie dough, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Add flour and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Press cookie dough into cooled crust. You want an even layer of dough approximately ½ inch thick. (You will have leftover dough, to eat or to bake into mini cookies; see Serving Suggestion, below.) Refrigerate pan while you prepare the cream filling.

Whisk together brown sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan. Add 1 cup of the milk and whisk until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until mixture is smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a heatproof bowl, beat egg yolks with the remaining 1 cup milk. Temper the yolks by adding the warm milk mixture to the eggs, a little bit at a time, stirring after each addition. Repeat until about half of the milk mixture has been added and egg mixture is warm to the touch. Pour into saucepan and stir to combine.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture has the consistency of thick pudding, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Let cool about 5 minutes or until warm-not hot-to the touch.

Pour filling over chilled cookie dough, leveling the top with an offset spatula. Filling should reach about ½ inch from the top of the crust. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.

To make the topping, whip heavy cream with an electric mixer until it begins to form soft folds. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until cream holds stiff peaks. With an offset spatula, gently spread all but 1/3 cup of the whipped topping over chilled filling. Pipe or dollop remaining topping evenly around the pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: "The Cookie Dough Lovers Cookbook: Cookies, Cakes, Candies, and More"

Cookie Dough (Lindsay Landis)
Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles (The Cookie Dough Lovers Cookbook)
Cookie Dough Crispy Treats (The Cookie Dough Lovers Cookbook)
Cookie Dough Cream Pie (The Cookie Dough Lovers Cookbook)