The Viral Cookie Dough Hack That Makes Weeknight Desserts A Breeze

Cookie lovers unite! The Internet is full of suggestions for ways to enjoy your favorite treats without having to resort to stale store-bought options. If you're tired of the same old chocolate chip cookie recipe you can find a multitude of tips and hacks on how to give it a little something extra. One viral hack involves store-bought cookie dough. Lots of it. TikTok user @nicole_thenomad revealed an innovative recipe to jazz up what they call "that extra cookie dough you have lying around."

In a greased glass baking dish, Renard takes whopping ice cream scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough and presses each ball together to cover the bottom of the dish. Then they drizzle a generous layer of salted caramel sauce and slather the cookie dough with it, they then sprinkle on some coarse salt and end by scooping more raw cookie dough on top. 

The method appears to be simple, quick, and fuss-free, and the resulting gooey cookie bars do look pretty tempting. Anyone might welcome this tip when they need a sweet treat on a frazzled weeknight. As with all social media posts, however, opinion is divided on the subject. 

Fans react to this cookie dough hack

Though the results of this viral cookie dough hack looked irresistible and it seemed fairly easy to make, not all folks had the same reaction. Some commenters reacted that they thought the uncooked cookie dough and caramel sauce resembled another type of goopy material. "Why did I think this was slime? Am I the only one who swore it was slime?" Others reacted with a mixed appreciation for the salty elements in the sweet dessert dish saying, "I am so tired of people putting salt on every dessert (especially cookies but I digress) I just don't get it." Probably the most frequent comment was ... who has extra cookie dough lying around? You bake it, or you eat it straight from the can.

@nicole_thenomad

you'll have all your friends thinking you're a pastry chef 😌🤌🏽🍪 #chocolatechipcookies #cookiedough #foodhack #desserttiktok #cookies

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Although you can't please everyone, there were plenty of viewers who went absolutely nuts for the video. "I made this recipe for Mother's Day, and it was a HIT! Thank you for sharing," with another saying, "I LOVE THIS!! It's so good... I've been making this for years. But, use a cast iron skillet. And if I have time, make my own salted caramel sauce." Even if some people weren't on board with adding salted caramel to the middle of the mixture, they were quick to chime in with their own suggestions for satisfyingly sweet substitutions. "Hear me out...Nutella!!!" said one fan with others mentioning that chocolate sauce, cream cheese, and even fudge would work as well.