Stew Leonard’s Edible Cookie Dough

I am part of a generation that is dying off.  We played outside, our knees were always scuffed up, and sat close too close to the TV.  We would fight over who got to lick the beater from the mixer whether it was cake batter or cookie dough.  Had my mother raised me in current days, her judgement would be questioned.  I’m forever grateful she let me lick the beater (and the bowl if I was lucky).  Now an overwhelming fear of illness surrounds eating raw batter.  That glorious taste is strongly discouraged in it’s raw form.  Which has led to various forms of cake batter and cookie dough ice cream.  I’m completely guilty of eating the dough out of the ice cream.  It’s a taste that isn’t always improved with baking.  For right now, we have Stew Leonard’s Edible Cookie Dough.

There is a new super hip bakery in NYC that is all the rage on all forms of social media.  It’s called Do and this is their website: CookieDoNYC.  If you aren’t going to click on the link here is what I know without visiting them: They have a line and closing policy.  They warn you that the wait can be between 1-4 hours.  They have an item limit. You may only buy 4 items per person.  And much like Willy Wonka’s Factory you’ll need a ticket to get in.  Yes, you read all that correctly.  While what they have looks delicious, that is not something I have the time nor desire to try based on that alone.  How does their stuff taste?  I don’t know either.  But here are their reviews on Yelp.

Enter Stew Leonard’s Edible Cookie Dough.   Based on Yelper’s pictures, Stew Leonard’s is charging about the same amount per scoop.  In terms of how much a “scoop” actually is in the NYC bakery’s location I can’t tell you either.  My double scoop in a cup at Stew’s was just shy of 18 ounces.  So plan accordingly.  They sell this in the same place they sell soft serve ice cream.  In the Yonkers location this is right by the entrance/exit.  No line.  No up charge for a cone either.  So here is my breakdown on what you are getting:

The pros:  Stew Leonard’s Edible Cookie Dough is tasty cookie dough without the fear of foodborne illness.

The cons: I was missing the familiar textural element here of the sugar crunch in my teeth. This was very smooth.

The verdict:  For $3.99 for one scoop or  $6.99 for two scoops, I opted for the 2 scoops.  Go big or go home I thought to myself.  I was going home so I opted for the cup with a cover too.  No extra charge for those.  No line.  You are getting legitimate edible cookie dough here.  Yes, you’ve always been able to buy cookie dough but they have all these warnings that you are not really supposed to eat them uncooked.  I’m sure everyone follows that (not).  This takes care of the two elements that are most likely to make you sick: the eggs and the uncooked flour.  They were more than generous with the scoops.  It felt heavy leaving the store.  When I got home I pulled out my food scale and realized I was sitting there with just about 18 ounces of fresh dough.  The dough was surprisingly smooth.  I was missing the familiar crunch of the sugar here.  We always creamed the butter and sugar but never to the point where you could barely make out the sugar crystals in it’s taste.  Yes, there is sugar and brown sugar in Stew’s dough but it was so smooth you could just make out the sweetness.  It’s not the familiar Toll House recipe either.  I’ve eaten enough of that in my lifetime to recognize it a mile away.   It was an exceptionally smooth dough that had semi sweet chocolate chips neatly folded into the dough to ensure that none were crushed in any way. The dough is less sweet than expected so temper your expectations on that aspect too. Overall, I liked it but didn’t love it.  Maybe it’s me, but I grew up on the wild side and know what the real stuff tastes like.  This was just a bit off and different.  It’s still good.  If food safety is of utmost importance to you, then yes, go ahead and indulge because it is good.  I may enjoy this as an occasional treat going to the store.  You might want to pick up some extra milk while you are in the store to enjoy this to it’s fullest.

The signage at Stew Leonard’s:

The goods:

The weigh in:

It’s glorious arrival home:

Would I buy this again?  Yes.  Two scoops was a bit excessive for one person.  But I’m sure I’ll be snacking on this for a bit.  It is a bit pricey but if you really need peace of mind knowing your beloved food will not kill you, it’s a small price to pay.

Want to see more items I’ve reviewed from Stew Leonard’s?  Click on Stew Leonard’s Food Reviews & Blog Posts for an alphabetized list.

Did you try it?  Let me know what you think in the comments section!

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