Copycat Starbucks Cookie Dough Cake Pops
The discontinued Starbucks cookie dough cake pop, back in your kitchen. Real edible cookie dough loaded with mini chocolate chips, dipped in chocolate, no cake and no baking.
Starbucks took the cookie dough cake pop away and people are STILL not over it. There are entire TikToks of grown adults mourning it. I was one of them, so I figured out how to make it at home, and mine might beat the one I was crying about.
A Starbucks cookie dough cake pop is a bite-sized ball of cookie-dough-flavored filling with mini chocolate chips, coated in chocolate, on a stick. The twist with mine: I skip the cake entirely and use real edible cookie dough, so it tastes more like cookie dough than the original did.
I’ve made these for friends who used to order the Starbucks one on repeat, and the reaction is always the same wide-eyed “wait, HOW,” which never gets old.
If you love cookie dough, you’ll also want my Protein Cookie Dough Baked Oats and my Healthy Protein Cookie Dough Recipe.
What Happened to the Starbucks Cookie Dough Cake Pop
Starbucks discontinued it a few years back, around 2021, and it never returned.
The original had a moist, unbaked-cookie-dough center packed with mini chocolate chips, with even more chips dotting the icing on top. It was the one flavor that leaned closer to actual cookie dough than to cake.
Fans miss it enough that there’s a petition to bring it back, and Starbucks hasn’t budged. That’s the whole reason this recipe exists.
Why This One Skips the Cake
Skip the cake and you skip three steps: baking, cooling, and crumbling. You make the dough, roll it, chill it, and dip. No oven, and no standing around waiting for a cake to bake and cool before you can even start.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Full measurements are in the recipe card below. Here’s what each piece does.
- Edible cookie dough: the base. Use the no-bake, ready-to-eat kind, homemade or store-bought.
- Mini chocolate chips: these go into the dough, the way the Starbucks center ran through with them.
- Chocolate candy melts: the coating. Dark, milk, or white all work, and they set firm and smooth.
- Lollipop or cake pop sticks
- Topping: extra mini chips or sprinkles, like the original’s chocolate-chip-flecked icing.
How to Make Starbucks Cookie Dough Cake Pops
- Prep the dough. Make or grab your edible cookie dough and fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Roll. Shape it into bite-sized balls about the size of a ping pong ball and set them on a parchment-lined sheet.
- Chill. Freeze for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Set the sticks. Melt a little candy melt, dip the tip of each stick, and push it halfway into a ball.
- Freeze again for a few minutes.
- Coat. Melt the rest of the candy melts and dip each pop, letting the extra drip off.
- Top. Scatter on mini chips or sprinkles while the coating is wet, then stand them up to set.
Pro Tips
Freeze the balls until firm but not rock solid. Too warm and they slump off the stick, frozen too hard and the warm coating can shock them into cracks.
Always dip the stick tip in melted chocolate before pushing it into a ball. That little anchor is the difference between a pop that holds and one that slides off halfway to your mouth.
If your coating is too thick to dip smoothly, stir in a teaspoon of neutral oil or shortening. It loosens the chocolate so it coats in a thin, even layer instead of gloppy clumps.
Variations
- Switch the dough: chocolate chip is closest to the original, but sugar cookie or double chocolate edible dough both work.
- Switch the coating: dark, milk, or white candy melts, or a white base with a chocolate drizzle.
- Gluten-free: use a gluten-free edible cookie dough or a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. The method stays the same. As written this uses regular flour, so it isn’t gluten-free unless you swap.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Stored airtight in the fridge, these keep for up to a week. Freeze the un-dipped balls for up to a month and dip the day you need them, or freeze the finished pops and thaw them in the fridge so the coating doesn’t sweat. Keep them out of a hot kitchen, since the coating softens fast in heat.
Starbucks Cookie Dough Cake Pop FAQ
Is the Starbucks cookie dough cake pop discontinued? Yes. It’s been gone for a few years, and making it at home is the only way to get it now.
Is edible cookie dough safe to eat raw? It is when it’s made for it. Edible dough leaves out the eggs and uses heat-treated flour, which removes the two raw-ingredient risks. Skip any regular cookie dough that’s meant to be baked.
How is this different from a regular cake pop? A regular cake pop is crumbled cake bound with frosting, while this is real cookie dough, so the center actually tastes like cookie dough.
Do you need a cake pop maker for these? No. You roll the dough by hand, so there’s no mold or machine involved.
Can you make them gluten-free? Yes, with a gluten-free edible dough or a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. As written it uses regular flour, so it isn’t gluten-free unless you swap.
Copycat Starbucks Cookie Dough Cake Pops
Ingredients
- Pillsbury cookie dough log 468g (ensure the cookie dough you choose is edible)
- 12 oz milk chocolate candy melts
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Whether you're using a store-bought cookie dough or your grandma's secret recipe, whip up a batch of your favorite cookie dough. It's the star of the show, so make it extra special! Ensure there are no raw eggs in your cookie dough for food safety.
- Take small portions of the cookie dough and roll them into 15 bite-sized cake balls. This is where the magic begins – envision those adorable Starbucks cake pops taking shape! Freeze them on a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes until they are firm, this will make them easier to handle in future steps.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt your chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments until fully melted. Insert the tip of the cake pop stick into the melted chocolate, then into the cookie dough ball.
- Pop your soon-to-be cake pops back into the freezer for a bit. This step ensures they hold their shape when it's time to dip them in the chocolatey goodness.
- Proceed by dipping each frozen cookie dough pop fully into the melted chocolate until it's generously coated. Let the excess chocolate drip off, you can use a spoon to assist if necessary.
- Add your mini chocolate chips to the tops to give your cake pops that extra flair.
- Now, let your creations rest and set. You can place them in a styrofoam block or cardboard box to keep them upright. I have also used my cheese grater in a pinch. Patience, my friend – it'll be worth the wait!
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is calculated based on industry-standard software and should be used as a general guide only. The information may vary depending on ingredient substitutions, cooking techniques, and individual serving sizes. It is the responsibility of the reader to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of the nutritional information provided. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized medical or nutritional advice.
Other Cake Pop Recipes
- Red Velvet Cake Pops
- 3 Ingredient Funfetti Candy Coating Cake Pops
- Starbucks Copycat Pink Cake Pops
- Cookies And Cream Cake Pops
- Starbucks Chocolate Cake Pop
If you make these and they take you right back to the Starbucks counter, leave a star rating and a comment below, and tag me @basicswithbails on Instagram so I can come see them.
About Bailey
I love to bake, cook, exercise, and document all of the above. Nutrition is not low fat. It is not low calorie. It’s not feeling deprived or being hungry all the time. It’s nourishing your body with real, whole foods so that you are consistently satisfied and energized to live your life to the fullest! Read more…
