Kristen Tomlan’s New York-based edible cookie dough store, DŌ, was founded on a vision, a solution to a problem every home baker and their family have run into. The question: Why can’t we eat the cookie dough? Tomlan’s answer with DŌ is to assert proudly that we can. Growing up in Chesterfield, Tomlan learned to bake at her mom’s side, and her childhood in the St. Louis area instilled in her a love of all things sweet. She later moved to New York, launching DŌ in 2015, and now she’s just released her first cookbook. Hello, Cookie Dough: 110 Doughlicious Confections to Eat, Bake, and Share shares some of Tomlan’s secrets and favorite recipes using edible—and, crucially, safe—cookie dough. Tomlan will be in St. Louis for two events promoting the book on November 30. Here, she talks with SLM before her return home.
What was your career path before launching DŌ?
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I graduated high school and left St. Louis to go to design school in Cincinnati. I was an interior design major and through that program, I had several different internships, so I was between Chicago and St. Louis and New York and London all throughout college. Once I graduated from school I ended up in New York full-time, working at a brand strategy consultant. I was working on experience design and retail design. I was doing that for about five years before starting DŌ, which was incredibly helpful for starting my own brand.
When you were growing up in St. Louis, did any local bakeries leave a big impression on you?
I grew up making a lot of baked items, so a lot of it happened at home, experimenting with my mom’s recipes or in the kitchen learning from her. But I was a child who grew up on St. Louis Bread Company before it was a chain like it is today. So I have this nostalgic place in my heart for their cookies and different things, those go-to staples. And then my grade school was right next to this French bakery called La Bonne Bouchee, which is on Olive. I learned to love macarons from La Bonne Bouchee, it was an after-school treat when we got to go there. I have an awesome macaron recipe in the book. I’m also just a sucker for gooey butter cake, whether it’s Gooey Louie or even Straub’s—they have the most amazing butter cake.
What were you aiming for when you launched DŌ?
When they eat the product for the first time, a lot of people will accompany it with a story. They’ll say “Oh, this reminds me of cooking with my grandma or my mom.” It puts you back in that place where you’re with someone that you love, baking in the comfort of your own kitchen. Baking is such a thing that we celebrate and share with other people, so it’s always nice to hear these stories. And that’s what I’m trying to capture, that idea of bringing you back to a place of happiness.
As a first-timer, what challenges are there in creating a cookbook?
There are a lot of challenges. I didn’t really know anything about the process, but I was able to lean on my agent and the publisher to walk me through the steps. I think the biggest challenge is there’s not a rule book. Because it’s your book, you get to make a lot of decisions and do it your way, which is great. But it’s very daunting to not even know exactly where to start.
For me personally, I’m also running a business, so the cookbook is a side project. A lot of the difficulty for me was just figuring out scheduling and timing and really making sure I was staying on top of deadlines and all the people that were contributing to the book.
How did you balance working on a cookbook with running the business?
We had a schedule where we knew exactly what recipes we needed to test and which recipes we needed to finalize every single week. We just had a really aggressive schedule and made sure that everybody was on top of it. Even though we have 110 recipes in the book, we probably tested and wrote over 200 recipes. Some of them will have to wait for my next cookbook.
What recipes or techniques do you think St. Louisans will be most excited about learning from the book?
The one specific recipe that is a nod to my St. Louis roots is the gooey butter cake recipe, which is called “The Dopest Gooey Butter Cake.” It has a layer of cookie dough in between the layers of gooey butter. Gooey butter cake has been one of my favorite desserts—or in St. Louis, breakfast items—since I was growing up, so I wanted to put my own twist on that.
As far as technique goes, most people are aware that you shouldn’t be eating cookie dough straight from the mixing bowl, but I have a special technique to make it safe to eat. So we’re talking about how to heat-treat the flour, or where to find heat-treated flour. And then the same thing with pasteurized eggs. Those are the ingredients in cookie dough that could potentially be harmful, and I’ve taught everybody a way to make it so safe to eat.
Do you have any personal favorite recipes from the book?
I feel like the ones that bring me back to my childhood or have some family tie-in are really special to me. In particular, my grandma’s cinnamon roll recipe is in there. It obviously has a little bit of a cookie dough twist on it, but when I’m making it, the smell of it baking and eating it just reminds me of being a child and going to visit her in Chicago.
What do you want readers to take away from the book?
I would love for them to know that it’s okay to eat cookie dough. I think there’s this big stigma against eating it. I just want people to have fun in the kitchen, be creative and use their imagination, using what they want to mix into the recipes or modifying the recipes, giving them the ability to eat cookie dough however they want to eat it.
Do you have any favorite cookbooks or authors whose work inspired your cookbook?
So many. I’m the type of person who picks up a cookbook and reads it cover to cover. I love the storytelling and anecdotes, and I always feel like I’m learning something even before I get to making the recipes. I’m really loving the Alison Roman cookbook, Dining In. And I love Chrissy Teigen’s cookbooks, or Candace Nelson’s. Each of them has a combination of really classic dishes that have a fun spin to them or their own personality infused in them.
Is there anyone else you collaborated with on your book?
My photographer Evan Sung is amazing and really allowed all of these recipes to jump off the page and come to life in such a great way. I also have a number of people on my team that helped with co-writing and recipe development. We have a lot of people working behind the scenes on a one-off basis, so we had an amazing food stylist and prop stylist. It really takes a village to make this book, and I’m so thankful for all of them.
Do you have a favorite bakery these days in St. Louis?
These are maybe not traditional bakeries, but I have a favorite dessert at different places. I always love going back to Crown Candy to get a big old milkshake or malt. I’m obsessed with Ted Drewes, so anytime I come home I have to head there to get a concrete. And then I grew up in Chesterfield, so there are two places that were close to my home. One of them was YaYas, they have this amazing chocolate souffle that you have to order right when you sit down because it takes 45 minutes to make, which is awesome. I love thinking about dessert first. And also close to where I grew up is Annie Gunn’s. Their apple pie is really something I crave.
Will you bring DŌ to St. Louis?
We’ve talked about coming to St. Louis. We’ve talked to a couple of people who are interested in running it or who have a good space. I never say never, and we’re certainly expanding the brand and continuing to grow. The cookbook is an extension of the brand, so, for now, we’re just focused on getting more people baking and sharing it with people.
Tomlan will be in St. Louis on November 30 for two events promoting Hello, Cookie Dough: 110 Doughlicious Confections to Eat, Bake, and Share. Here are the details for those:
- Book Party and signing at Pi CWE, 3–5 p.m., free.
- Cookie Dough class at Kitchen Conservatory, 6.30–9 p.m., $65.
- Hello, Cookie Dough: 110 Doughlicious Confections to Eat, Bake, and Share is available now from Left Bank Books and other selected retailers in St. Louis, and on Amazon.
Try Tomlan’s Caramel Apple Harvest recipe:
Caramel Apple Harvest
Makes 35 scoops. Time ‘Til Dough: 20 minutes. Time ‘Til Cookies: 2 hours 35 minutes
The best part of autumn in New York is apple picking. Apple picking is a family tradition that dates back to before I can remember. Every September we’d spend a day in the orchard picking apples and spend the next few months attempting to eat them all. Every year when it starts to feel chilly out, I grab a bunch of girlfriends and head to New York’s best upstate farms to continue the tradition. Whether you’ve picked them yourself, or picked them up from the grocery store, with this dough you’ll need only two apples from your haul to be ready for fall!
11/2 cups oats (if you’re making this gluten-free, check that the oats also are gluten-free!)
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 apples
1 cup Sprite
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup pasteurized egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
cup caramel bits
1/4 cup cinnamon chips
1. In a food processor or blender, pulse the oats 3 or 4 times, until they have a roughly chopped consistency. The oats shouldn’t be as fine as flour but should be visibly chopped, about a quarter of the size of whole oats.
2. Heat-treat the oats by placing them in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval. Stir well to make sure none of the flour burns (microwaves have those tricky hot spots). Use an instant-read thermometer to test the flour in several places to make sure it has reached 165°F throughout. If you get a lower reading in one area, just stir and heat for an additional 30 seconds until it’s all ready! Let cool completely.
3. Place the flour in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval. Stir well to make sure none of the flour burns (microwaves have those tricky hot spots). Use an instant-read thermometer to test the flour in several places to make sure it has reached 165°F throughout. If you get a lower reading in one area, just stir and heat for an additional 30 seconds until it’s all ready! If some flour sticks to the sides of the bowl just leave it there. Break up any chunks and let cool completely. (Insiders hint: DŌ sells their own Heat-Treated Flour so you can buy their safe-to-eat flour and skip this step! Visit cookiedonyc.com for more.)
4. While the oats and flour cool, core and dice the apples, then fully submerge them in the cup of Sprite to soak.
5. Once the oats have cooled completely, in a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, heat-treated flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated and brown sugars and mix on medium until light and fluffy; about 4 minutes will do the trick. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl. Add the egg whites and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated about 2 minutes.
7. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low just until the powdery texture of the flour disappears about 15 seconds. Immediately add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and mix a final 15 seconds.
8. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in the caramel bits and cinnamon chips.
9. Drain the apples and arrange them in a single layer on paper towels. Pat the apples dry, then fold into the dough.
10. Let’s grab a spoon and live apple-y ever after.
11. If you want to bake, transfer your cookie dough to an airtight container or press a piece of plastic wrap onto the top of the cookie dough. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 24 hours. If you can’t stand to wait, place in the freezer for at least 2 hours. (This step helps your cookies hold their shape and gives you that nice gooey cookie center, so don’t skip it!)
12. Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Use a cookie scoop to portion cold dough onto the baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between scoops.
13. For soft-baked, gooey cookies, bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set. Check halfway through baking to ensure your cookies are cooking evenly. Rotate the baking sheet if needed. For crispier cookies, keep them in the oven for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
14. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
15. Enjoy warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tomlan’s tip: “Using Sprite to keep apples from browning is one of my favorite tricks. Sprite has all the anti-gross-brown-spots power of lemon juice, without the acidic flavor.”
