You’re desperate for dessert. You open the fridge and spot a glorious tube of ready-to-bake cookie dough that you impulse bought a month ago. Plain old chocolate chip cookies won’t do, though, so what else can you do with that Nestle Toll House or Pillsbury cookie dough? Thankfully, a whole lot.
Lots of gooey, decadent, and chocolate-filled dessert recipes start with a tube of cookie dough. It’s a shortcut that cuts down on time and effort, letting you dig into that much-needed sweet treat in no time. When you need a chocolate chip cookie-adjacent dessert fast, try one of these easy cookie dough recipes.
1. Crock-Pot Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
Slow cookers make the ultimate hot and gooey chocolate desserts. Besides a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough, this recipe includes another time saver: a box of brownie mix. Top a bowl of this scoopable dessert with vanilla ice cream to really gild the lily.
Recipe: Crock-Pot Ladies
2. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
Besides the premade cookie dough, there are only four other ingredients in this creamy cheesecake square recipe. Just pat some chocolate chip cookie dough in the pan, add a cream cheese filling (with optional coconut!), and crumble more cookie dough over the top before baking.
Recipe: Pillsbury
3. Fried Cookie Dough
Pretend you’re at the fair with these deep fried cookie dough bites. Just wrap balls of cookie dough in canned biscuit dough and fry them. They turn out like a doughnut filled with chocolatey cookie dough. Who can resist that?
Recipe: Kirbie’s Cravings
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4. S’mores Skillet Pie
Skillet cookies aren’t just for restaurants. All you do is spread the cookie dough in a cast iron (or other ovenproof) skillet and bake. Add more chocolate on top and broil some marshmallows for that perfect s’mores touch.
Recipe: Nestle Very Best Baking
Related: Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes for an Easy Fall Meal
5. Semi-Homemade Brookies
If you’ve never heard of a brookie before, it’s a cross between a brownie and a cookie. You swirl the brownie batter and the cookie dough in a pan and end up with a chocolate lover’s dream. Refrigerated cookie dough and a boxed brownie mix make this version super easy.
Recipe: Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
Related: The Scoop on All 6 Entenmann’s Ice Cream Sandwich Flavors
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6. Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
This recipe is extra gooey thanks to a hidden layer of canned dulce de leche, a thick, rich caramel that you can find in the Hispanic section of your grocery store. If you don’t have a pie crust in your freezer, you can also make this in a square baking pan. Once baked, either option would make a great base for an ice cream sundae.
Recipe: I Heart Naptime
Related: 22 Classic Pie Recipes
7. Milky Way Chocolate Lasagna
This recipe is fancy enough for company or a potluck, but thanks to packaged cookie dough, Cool Whip, and pudding mix, it’s easier than it looks. The chocolate chip cookies form the base, with creamy chocolate and cheesecake-like layers on top. Chopped Milky Way candy bars are a fun topping, but anything from M&M’s to Oreos would work.
Recipe: Pillsbury
8. Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding
Bread pudding is a dessert classic, so why not combine it with chocolate chip cookies, another classic? Vanilla and brown sugar in the bread pudding echo the cookie dough balls that are baked on top.
Recipe: Nestle Very Best Baking
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9. Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight
This layered pudding creation really is a dessert delight. The cookie dough is baked in the pan for a sturdy base, then piled high with pudding and whatever fun toppings you’d like. Feel free to get creative with banana slices, chocolate covered pretzels, or peanuts between the layers.
Recipe: Taste of Home
10. Gooey Chocolate Peanut Bars
Peanuts, marshmallows, butterscotch, and chocolate chip cookies: What’s not to love? Though the recipe calls for a 9×13-inch pan, this would be great as a giant skillet cookie to share with the whole family as well.
Recipe: Taste of Home
