This cottage cheese cookie dough is a high-protein, no-bake snack that’s naturally sweetened and gluten-free. No eggs, no flour and no protein powder required. Just simple pantry staples blended together for an edible cookie dough that tastes nothing like cottage cheese.
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I turned the big 4-0 a couple of months ago and, yes, just like approximately 99% of the population right now, I’m on a mission to squeeze more protein into every meal, snack and dessert. And if you’ve been around here for a while, you know how much I love cottage cheese recipes. Welcome to the party, cottage cheese cookie dough!
Before you run in the opposite direction, hear me out. We’re blending the cottage cheese completely smooth with honey and vanilla until it’s silky and creamy, then stirring in a mixture of blended oats (a.k.a. homemade oat flour) and cinnamon.
The result is a high-protein snack that tastes like a cross between oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip cookies. Sweet but not too sweet, and genuinely good enough to eat straight from the bowl with a spoon. Which, let’s be honest, is exactly what you’re going to do.
If you’re already a fan of my edible cookie dough or chocolate chip cookie dough dip, think of this as the protein-packed upgrade you’ve been waiting for.
Safe To Eat Cookie Dough
No eggs. No raw flour. Many traditional edible cookie dough recipes call for heat-treated flour, but not this one. And here’s something most people don’t realize: Old Fashioned oats are steamed and rolled during processing, so they don’t need to be cooked. Totally safe to eat, right out of the bowl.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Oats: Most cottage cheese cookie dough recipes call for almond flour, and while that works, I opted for Old Fashioned oats for one simple reason: you probably already have them in your pantry. Pulse them in the food processor until fine and flour-like, and you’ve got a naturally gluten-free base with a hearty, satisfying texture. Swap in Bob’s Red Mill Protein Oats for a whopping 74 grams of protein for the entire batch.
- Cottage cheese: Any variety works here because we’re blending it until completely smooth (I love Knudsen Cottage Cheese!). If yours has cream on top, just stir it in before measuring. It adds richness.
- Honey: I love the flavor and natural sweetness honey adds, but feel free to swap in maple syrup if you prefer.
- Cinnamon: For that subtle oatmeal cookie flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Because cookie dough without vanilla just isn’t the same.
- Chocolate chips: Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet, mini chips and chunks all work. I love a mix of chips and chunks for varied texture.
Can I Add Protein Powder?
Absolutely! A scoop of vanilla protein powder would lean into the cookie dough flavor even more. I don’t keep it stocked in my pantry so I left it out of the base recipe, but it’s a great option if you want an extra boost.
Start by Making Homemade Oat Flour in Seconds
Add your oats to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they’re finely ground and flour-like in consistency. You’ll know you’re there when the mixture looks like pale, slightly coarse flour, similar to whole-wheat flour but lighter.
The oat flour should look like this:
How to Make Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough
This high-protein cookie dough comes together in just two easy steps before you stir everything together at the end.
Start by blending the cottage cheese. No need to wash the food processor between steps, just add the cottage cheese, honey and vanilla extract directly to the bowl and blend until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
Add the oat flour to a bowl, then stir in the cinnamon and a pinch of kosher salt.
Then all that’s left to do is pour the blended cottage cheese into the bowl with the oats mixture and stir until fully combined. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips. That’s it!
Success Tip: If you want it sweeter, add a little more honey. And to really make all the flavors pop, I like to sprinkle large-flake sea salt over the top before serving.
This edible cookie dough is ready to eat immediately, or you can cover and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. It firms up slightly in the fridge, which honestly makes it even better for scooping straight from the container with a spoon. Not that I’d know anything about that.
Success Tip: If the dough feels too thick, stir in a small drizzle of honey to loosen it up. Too soft? Add oats a tablespoon at a time until it firms up.
And if you love peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, try stirring in 2 to 3 tablespoons of your favorite nut butter for a nutty, protein-packed twist. Or skip the chocolate chips entirely for a version that tastes just like my favorite chocolate chipless cookies.
5 Ways to Eat This
As soon as I whipped up my first batch of this cottage cheese cookie dough, I started brainstorming all the ways it could be enjoyed. Spoiler: There is no wrong answer.
- With a spoon! This is probably the most popular method.
- As a dip. Pretzels, apple slices and strawberries are all excellent vehicles for getting this into your mouth faster.
- As a frosting. Layer between or on top of cakes, cupcakes and brownies. Try it on my fudgy homemade brownies or banana cupcakes first.
- Rolled into balls. Scoop and roll into bite-sized balls, then refrigerate until firm. Dip them in melted chocolate if you’re feeling fancy.
- Straight from the freezer. My personal favorite! For a fast, frozen treat, spoon the cookie dough into an ice cube mold and freeze. You’ll have bite-sized frozen treats ready to grab whenever the craving hits.
FAQs
Yes! A high-powered blender works great for both the oat flour and the cottage cheese mixture. Just be sure to use the plunger that came with your blender when processing the oats so they blend evenly and don’t get stuck on the sides, and scrape down the sides as needed for both mixtures.
Absolutely. This is a great recipe to make at the start of the week and snack on all week long. It actually gets better as it sits since the oats continue to absorb the moisture as it chills, making the texture even more scoopable.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Old Fashioned oats
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- Add the oats to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they are finely-ground and flour-like in consistency. Transfer the oats to a medium bowl then stir in the cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Add the cottage cheese, honey and vanilla extract to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Stir the cottage cheese mixture to the bowl with the oats then stir in the chocolate chips. Serve immediately.
Kelly’s Notes
- Protein boost: Stir in a scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder along with the oat flour. Or, swap the Old Fashioned oats for Bob’s Red Mill Protein Oats for a whopping 74 grams of protein for the entire batch.
- Nut butter: Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of your favorite nut butter.
- Storage & Freezing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. I love scooping the dough into an ice cube mold before freezing for perfectly portioned, grab-and-go bites.
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