There’s no denying the appeal of eating raw cookie dough, whether you enjoy it mixed in with ice cream or just straight-up on its own. And hey, guess what? Now you can eat it both ways, Ben & Jerry’s-style: Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough Chunks are literally just bags full of the same edible, snackable cookie dough the Vermont-based ice cream makers put in all their most iconic dessert flavors. You heard me: You can now legit make yourself a sundae out of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream and top it off with Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough Chunks for the ultimate cookie dough lover’s dessert — and what’s more, you can even do it if you’re vegan. The Cookie Dough Chunks line includes both non-vegan and vegan flavors, so anyone who’s avoiding dairy or eggs can have just as much fun as those who aren’t.
Bless you, Ben & Jerry’s. Bless your sweet little hearts.
If this sweet treat looks somewhat familiar to you, there’s a reason for that: It was actually originally released in 2018. At the time, though, the snackable dough, which came in both Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip flavors, was only available at two of Vermont’s five Scoop Shops — the one in Burlington, and the one at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury. Its limited availability left the rest of us non-Vermonters sadly doughless… but no more! Now, we, too, can join in the edible cookie dough party. Hoorah!
As with the previous release, the 2019 edition of Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough Chunks come in two primary flavors — Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip — and are sold in half-pound bags. It’s the same dough found in Ben & Jerry’s regular Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream — a flavor, by the way, that Ben & Jerry’s is generally credited with inventing, circa 1984 — as well as varieties like Peanut Buttah Cookie Core and The Tonight Dough. Prices may vary, but generally, they’ll retail for around $4.99 per bag.
“Fans have been asking for ‘just the chunks’ for a while now,” Ben & Jerry’s Innovation Manager Jody Eley said in a press release — so last summer, they released them in the two aforementioned Vermont Scoop Shops in order to see if the demand was high enough for a wider release. Long story short: It was. “During a short market test in Vermont last summer, fans snatched up the dough in record time,” said Eley. “Bags flew off the shelves in mere days and stores could not keep the delicious dough bites in stock!” Accordingly, Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough Chunks will be rolling out at retailers across the United States as of April 3, 2019.
But this time, there’s something new in the mix, too: There may still only be two flavors, but one of those flavors is also available in vegan form — meaning there are three options to choose from total, all of which should suit a variety of dietary needs and preferences. (Alas, though, they do all contain wheat, so if you're gluten-free, they may be a no-go for you.) According to the press release, the Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Chunks are made from the same edible dough found in the non-dairy version of the classic Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream flavor. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert is one of the newest additions to Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy line; it just arrived in February 2019. But given that it’s been one of the most requested flavors since the non-dairy line launched in 2016, it’s no surprise that it would eventually make its way to the lineup — and equally unsurprising that once it did, the dough itself would join the edible cookie dough collection, too.
What makes the snackable dough safe to eat is how the eggs and flour are treated when the stuff is made: The eggs are pasteurized, which kills all the bacteria in them and renders them safe to consume raw, while the flour has been heat-treated to kill foodborne pathogens. (The Vegan Chocolate Chip version, meanwhile, contains no eggs whatsoever, making that particular issue null and void.) You do still need to store Ben & Jerry’s edible cookie dough in the freezer, though, so don’t just go leaving it out. You're going to have a bad time if you do.
To find out where you can get Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough Chunks, meet your new best friend, the Ben & Jerry’s product locator. You can search for individual products by Scoop Shop, by Grocery Store, or by Delivery Partner, just to make sure you’ve got all your bases covered. You can also order Cookie Dough Chunks online from Ben & Jerry’s web-based gift shop, where they go for $6.99 per bag.
Happy snacking!
