You Can Scramble Cookie Dough, According To TikTok
A key tool for baking is the oven, and when making cookies, the first step that comes to mind is probably turning on the oven to preheat. If you don't have an oven, this narrows down your options for homemade baked goods. You might find yourself in a situation — like camping, living in a dorm room, or traveling — where an oven isn't feasible, but the cravings for a fresh cookie persist. Eating raw cookie dough is unsafe, even if it's egg-free, but now there's another option. In a TikTok video posted this September, user Archived Chef made scrambled cookie dough popular, although they called it a "#BakingExperiment" rather than a bona-fide recipe.
As its name implies, this method is inspired by scrambled eggs, and it involves cooking cookie dough directly in a pan on the stovetop. Archived Chef uses two balls of cookie dough on a non-stick pan and covers the pan with a lid. From there, it's all trial and error. Initial tests that looked more like pancakes burned seemingly quickly, while later tests turned out more optimistic when the dough was flipped earlier and then cut up and scrambled with the spatula.
After broken apart in the pan, the cookie chunks are tossed around the pan until the chocolate chips appear melty, and the chunks of cookie are golden brown. Finally, Archived Chef served the scrambled cookies with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and a cherry. However, there are many more ways you can make this dish your own, and making it isn't as hard or strange as it looks.
How to cook cookie dough in a pan
There are a few tips you should keep in mind to make sure you get the best results when cooking cookie dough on the stovetop. For starters, it's ideal to use chilled dough straight out of the fridge, as room-temperature dough can melt too quickly in the pan. A non-stick pan is ideal because cookie dough is quite sticky, but a cast-iron skillet can be used if enough butter or oil is added to ensure the cookies don't stick. While the TikTok video doesn't show oil or butter being added to the non-stick pan, a touch of grease will prevent sticking and make the cookie bits crispier.
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Moreover, low heat is key here. Too hot, and the cookies will burn on the outside but have a raw middle. There are two options here: Leave the cookies whole, or scramble them. If leaving them whole, place a lid over the top of the pan to trap hot air inside and cook the cookies more evenly. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Be patient with the flip — you want to see golden-brown edges (but not burnt!) before attempting to flip the dough. Note: Flipped cookies will have a flat appearance, so skip the flip if you want a rounded top.
If scrambling, start cutting the dough into chunks with the spatula as soon as it's placed in the pan. Sauté gently, and the chunks will need about half the cooking time as whole cookies. Simply cook until they're golden-brown and melty yet cooked through.
Variations and serving ideas for scrambled cookie dough
Your favorite homemade cookie dough can, of course, be scrambled in a pan, but the quickest way to make scrambled cookies is to use a store-bought dough, which chefs like Alex Guarnaschelli have repeatedly shown can be improved by adding your favorite mix-ins or sprinkling it with sea salt. On TikTok, the most common scrambled cookie dough flavor is chocolate chip, but any flavor — like sugar cookie, double chocolate, or white chocolate macadamia nut — can be used.
The scrambled chunks of cookie may not be as visually pleasing as typical circular cookies, but you can elevate the appearance as done in Archived Chef's TikTok video — à la mode. Another option is to drizzle chocolate or caramel sauce over the top, or finish with a generous topping of whipped cream. If serving a large group or bringing this innovative dessert to a potluck, the small bits can be easier to share when served with toothpicks. The cookie chunks are also great to use when adding to things like ice cream or milkshakes where full cookies aren't necessarily needed. Plus, they're so fast to make that you can have them as this garnish or complementary ingredient very quickly. Finally, for the ultimate late-night snack, throw the chunks in a cold bowl of milk and eat them with a spoon.