Edible Brownie Batter

Rich, indulgent, and fudgy Edible Brownie Batter with tons of mix-in options! This brownie batter is free of eggs and we heat treat the flour to ensure this batter is completely food-safe to eat.

A lot of brownie batter recipes rely on just cocoa powder, but this recipe uses a combination of real chocolate and cocoa powder for the ultimate fudgy dough.

Edible Brownie Batter

Welcome to the second “edible dough” treat of the week! We kicked it off with this delectable Peanut Butter Cookie Dough. In that post, I shared how much you all have loved this Edible cookie dough recipe the past couple of months and that I’d share three more “edible dough” recipes this week. 

And today I’m sharing my personal favorite: Edible Brownie Batter.

I was raised on a ridiculous amount of brownies (thanks, mom, for sharing so much happiness) and honestly, my favorite part of brownies was always the few spoonfuls of batter I’d steal before that batter made it into the oven. In retrospect, it probably wasn’t the best thing I did (eating spoonfuls of batter that had raw flour and uncooked eggs). But I’ve lived to tell about it and create a version that doesn’t have any risks of foodborne illness. This edible brownie batter doesn’t have any eggs and I’ll share with you how to heat treat the flour to ensure it’s completely safe to eat.

Can you eat brownie batter?

Raw brownie batter isn’t considered safe to eat because of health concerns revolving around both the flour and uncooked eggs.

However, this Edible Brownie Dough recipe is specially formulated to be safe to eat. There are no eggs in this recipe and we heat treat the flour to ensure everything is up to safety standards for consumption. And the best part? It tastes just as delicious as regular brownie batter!

Can you get sick from eating brownie batter?

As mentioned above, regular brownie batter does contain risks of foodborne illness, but this brownie batter is safe to consume so long as the flour is treated to 165 degrees F. Here’s an article that explains the problem with raw dough.

However, because I’ve been here (maybe a time too many), I don’t eat more than a few tablespoons of this batter in one sitting. While it’s technically “safe” to eat the entire batch (and hey — you do you), this dough is very rich and very sweet. Large quantities consumed will likely give you a pretty good stomach ache (as with any decadent treat). 

How to make brownie batter from scratch

• Melt chocolate chips and butter: I use the microwave to melt these two together. Microwave in bursts of 30 seconds, stirring well in between each burst.
• Add sugars: We use a combination of white and brown sugar for this brownie batter.
• Beat: Take your time and beat the sugars into the butter and chocolate until smooth and creamy — about 2-3 minutes.
• Add vanilla and heavy cream: This batter is intended to be a bit wetter than edible cookie dough (just like actual brownie batter is wetter than actual cookie dough), so we add a good amount of heavy cream. Add more heavy cream for a thinner batter and less for a thicker batter.
• Toss together dry ingredients: Dutch-process cocoa powder, heat-treated flour (more on this below), and salt. The salt intensifies the flavors and balances the sweetness.
• Add the dry to the wet ingredients
• Mix until ingredients are combined and smooth: Avoid over-mixing the batter once the flour has been added, to prevent gluten development.
• Here’s where you can get creative with mix-ins! We love big milk chocolate chunks or chips, and below I have lots of add-in suggestions!

How to heat treat flour

When making brownie batter that is safe to consume, we need to first cook the flour (or heat treat it) to ensure we kill any potential bacteria. There are three ways to heat treat your flour.

• Purchase flour that has already been heat treated. This will be indicated on the label.
• Heat treat it in the microwave: Add the flour to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in bursts of 30 seconds, stirring in between each burst. Take your time, stirring well to make sure none of the flour burns. Use a thermometer to test the flour in a few places to make sure it has reached 165 degrees F throughout all the flour. (If you get less than 165 degrees, return the flour for one more burst of 30 seconds.) 
• Heat treat it in the oven: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan (with sides) with a nonstick liner or parchment paper. Spread the flour on the pan. Bake the flour, removing and stirring it, every 1 and 1/2 minutes. Every time you remove the flour to stir, test it with the thermometer. As soon as it reaches 165 degrees F, it’s safe to use in the recipe.

Notes on heat-treated flour

• Let the flour cool completely before using. If you use hot flour, this brownie batter’s consistency will be off. If you don’t have time to let the flour cool at room temperature, stick the pan in the fridge or freezer.
• Break up any flour clumps with your fingers and discard any stubborn clumps that won’t break up. If flour sticks to the sides or bottom of the pan, don’t scrape it up for the dough — it’s most likely over-cooked.
• If there are discolored sections (brown or light brown flour) discard that flour, it will make the batter taste burnt.
• We want the heat-treated flour to look just like regular flour (light, fluffy, and white) — don’t use any flour parts that don’t look like this or it will affect the texture and flavor of the brownie batter.

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Edible Brownie Batter

5 from 5 votes

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Rich, indulgent, and fudgy Edible Brownie Batter with tons of mix-in options! This brownie batter is free of eggs and we heat treat the flour to ensure this batter is completely food-safe to eat.

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Edible Brownie Batter

5 from 5 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Rich, indulgent, and fudgy Edible Brownie Batter with tons of mix-in options! This brownie batter is free of eggs and we heat treat the flour to ensure this batter is completely food-safe to eat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword edible brownie batter

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 590kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $5.42

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• ▢ 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup white all-purpose flour (heat treated -- See Note 1)
• ▢ 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (See Note 2)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
• ▢ Optional add-in suggestions: coarsely chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, coarsely chopped Oreos, swirl of peanut butter, coarsely chopped mini Reese's cups, chocolate peanut butter chips, swirl of marshmallow fluff

US - Metric

USMetric

Instructions

• HEAT TREAT FLOUR: You can heat treat flour in the microwave or in the oven. Test the flour to ensure it's reached a safe temperature of 165 degrees F. Let flour cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before using. Don't use any burnt or clumpy flour (if it's off-color or smells burnt, it is most likely burnt). The flour should be light, white, and fluffy (it should look the same as it did before heat treating). Spoon the cooled flour into a measuring cup and level the top of the measuring cup with the back of a table knife. (If you press and scoop flour in the measuring cup, you'll have too much.) (See note 1)
• DRY INGREDIENTS: Once the flour has cooled, add the spooned and leveled 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a medium-size bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
• BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE: In another microwave-safe bowl add 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips and the 6 tablespoons butter (cut into 1 tablespoon pieces). Microwave in 30-second increments until fully melted, stirring for 15 seconds in between each increment. (This takes about 1 min 30 seconds in my microwave.)
• WET INGREDIENTS: In a bowl with a stand mixer attached (or use a hand mixer) add the chocolate-butter mixture. Add the 1/2 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed until completely smooth. Add the 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat until smooth and light, another 1-2 minutes.
• COMBINE: Add the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients. Beat until just combined, being careful to not over-mix the batter. Scrape the sides as needed with a spatula to make sure everything is well combined. Fold the 2/3 cup chocolate chips into the batter with a spatula. If the dough is too wet (it should be a wetter brownie-batter-type consistency), add 1-2 more tablespoons of the heat-treated flour and if it is too dry, add 1-2 more tablespoons heavy cream.
• ENJOY: Add in any desired mix-ins and enjoy! We love this dough freshly made, chilled, or even frozen! This dough does get less grainy (as the sugar dissolves more) after being frozen or chilled.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Heat treat the flour in the microwave: Add the flour to a microwave-safe bowl. I recommend heat treating more than the recipe calls for (1/2 to 1 cup extra) just to ensure you have enough. Microwave on high in bursts of 30 seconds, stirring in between each burst. Take your time stirring well to make sure none of the flour burns. Use a thermometer to test the flour in a few places to make sure it has reached 165 degrees F throughout all the flour. (If you get less than 165 degrees, return the flour for one more burst of 30 seconds.) 

Heat treat it in the oven: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan (with sides) with a nonstick liner or parchment paper. Spread the flour on the pan (treat 1/2 to 1 cup more than you'll use). Bake the flour, removing and stirring it, every 1 and 1/2 minutes. Every time you remove the flour to stir, test it with the thermometer. As soon as it reaches 165 degrees F, it's safe.

Note 2: Make sure to get Dutch-process instead of natural or plain cocoa powder. The Dutching process offers a much more robust and intense chocolate flavor. Regular cocoa powder will make the brownie batter drier and less flavorful. Hershey's "Special Dark" cocoa powder is Dutch-process and found at most grocery stores.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings | Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 6.2g | Fat: 26.2g | Cholesterol: 40.5mg | Sodium: 26.7mg | Fiber: 3.9g | Sugar: 66.6g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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