Loretta Dough – The Frame

Foundation Technique

Loretta Dough

Perfect for Perennial Presentations

A close-up view of creamy batter in a stainless steel mixing bowl, showing smooth swirls and a light tan color.

A Frame for Fresh

I set out to make a cookie for Satisfaction. A cookie anyone could and would want to make and eat on a regular basis.

A foundational dough made with honey, oats, dates, butter, and cream cheese. A nutritious dough that holds together. Built to become better cookies, bars, muffins, and seasonal desserts.

Made to highlight what you have. Fruit that might have gone to waste becomes the star.

Tired of making cookies I used it to happily make other things.

What do you think? Comment below. Include pictures of your creations.

Loretta Dough

Original + Updated Version

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients
  • 8 ounces butter, room temperature
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup dates, chopped (optional – up-dated version)
  • 1/2 cup honey or agave
  • 1-2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
Dry Ingredients
  • 3 cups oatmeal
  • 1 cup pecans, (or macadamia, roasted sunflower seeds, walnuts)
  • 10 ounces white chocolate chips
  • 1-1/2 cups white (or if using: Oat Flour = 2 cups Total)
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup oat flour (omit for up-dated version – 2 cups total.
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Equipment

  • Sheet pan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Mixer (ideal)
  • Paddle attachment (ideal)
Optional Toppings/Mix-ins:
  • chocolate melting wafers
  • Sugar in the Raw
  • blueberries
  • figs
  • strawberries
  • nut butter
  • cherries
  • cranberries
  • raisins
Variables:
  • White Flour can be replaced 1:1 with Oat Flour
  • Dates are great. They make the dough rich and dark. Enriching the texture, sweetness, and nutritional profile.
  • Honey or Agave. Agave sweetener is lighter in flavor depth than honey. Nice with Blueberry Macadamia Nut Cookies – Loretta Dough Base.

Directions

  • Bring to Room Temperature :
    • 8 ounces cream cheese
    • 8 ounces butter
    • 2 eggs

Combine the Dry Ingredients

  • Combine the dry ingredients to add to the wet mixture.
  • Combine:
    • 3 cups of oatmeal
    • 1 cup of pecans
    • 10 ounces of white chocolate chips
    • 1-1/2 cups flour
    • 1/2 cup almond flour
    • 1/2 cup oat flour
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Combine the Wet Ingredients

  • Combine:
    • 8 ounces butter, room temperature
    • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
    • 1/2 cup brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup dates, chopped (optional – up-dated version)
    • 1/2 cup honey or agave
    • 1-2 tablespoons molasses
  • Scrape the sides.
    • Add 1 egg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, OR almond, or vanilla extract
  • Mix, just until incorporated.
    • Add the last egg
  • Scrape the sides and mix just until incorporated again
Close-up of a mixing bowl with creamy batter and a raw egg yolk at the bottom.
  • With the mixer running very slowly add the combined dry ingredients.

  • Gently mix in additions if desired or Top
  • Allow the dough to form for one hour. If refrigerating bring it to room temperature before scooping. Or the dough will look dry when baked, (It will still taste great).
A baking tray lined with a silicone mat featuring clusters of oatmeal cookie dough mixed with blueberries and chocolate chips.
  • Shape and top as desired.
A round pie covered with plastic wrap, featuring a crumbly, baked topping.
Notes

Loretta Dough Yield Guide

Use this table as a working guide for planning tart shells, pies, cookies, and minis from one batch of Loretta Dough.

UseApproximate Yield from 1 BatchNotes
Cookies90–100Depends on thickness and cutter size
12-inch tart shells2Standard thickness, (5/8″), bottom + sides
9-inch tart shells3–4Depends on depth and trim
9-inch pie crusts3 double-crust pies or 6 single crustsEstimate based on standard rolled thickness
4-inch mini tart shells12–16Depending on depth and thickness
Galettes, 8–9 inch4–5Rustic freeform, moderate thickness
Cheesecake crusts3–4 standard crustsPress-in crust variation
Shortbread-style bar crusts, 9×13 pan2 pansPressed evenly into pan

Yield Notes

  • Final yield changes with:
    • rolling thickness
    • pan depth
    • trimming
    • re-rolling scraps
Blueberry Macadamia Nut Cookies – Loretta Dough Base
White Chocolate Chip, Oat, & Cranberry Cookies with Hemp Seeds
Kathie’s Candied Ginger White Chocolate & Pecan Cookies
Chocolate Chip Oat & Blueberry with 7 Seed Nut Butter & Re-Hydrated Cranberries
Just Desserts

Build Your Own Dough – Verified Variations Below

Loretta Dough is a flexible, semi-healthy, foundation dough for Satisfaction. Change the flour, fat, sweetener, flavor extracts, or add-ins, and it becomes something new each time.

Flour Base

Flavor Extracts

Nuts

Fat

Sweeteners

Fruit Add-ins

Add-Ons

Plum Delicious Berry Tart

A close-up of a colorful fruit tart topped with slices of red fruit and dark berries, surrounded by pink and white flowers.

AI Enhanced Plum Delicious Tart (- Loretta Date Dough with Lemon Curd Filling & a Plum Cranberry Compote Topping

Loretta Date Dough with Lemon Curd Filling & a Plum Cranberry Compote Topping

Chocolate Chip Oat & Blueberry with 7 Seed Nut Butter & Re-Hydrated Cranberries

Cherry–Vanilla Compote

Oat Flour & Date Version

A close-up view of creamy peanut butter batter with chocolate chips, being mixed in a stainless steel bowl.

What else you can make with Loretta Dough?

Protein Chocolate Chip

Collage of images showcasing the process of making Loretta Dough cookies with oats and seeds, including mixing ingredients, baking, and finished cookies topped with blueberries and chocolate.
Loretta Dough with 7 seed nut butter, cranberries, blueberries, and topped with Sugar in the Raw.

Is it real or ChatGPT? Are Imperfections perfect?

Protein Chocolate Chip

Plum Delicious Lemon Berry Tart – Loretta Oat & Date Base

A square piece of baked dessert with a golden brown crust and a glossy layer of red fruit jam on top, resting on a light-colored plate.

Loretta Date Dough with Lemon Curd Filling & a Plum Cranberry Compote Topping

Plum Delicious Lemon Berry Tart

Protein Chocolate Chip

Baking tray filled with freshly baked cookies featuring blueberries and dried cranberries, cooling in an oven.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies, topped with 7 seed Nut Butter, Blueberries & Lemon Soaked Dried Cranberries

Protein Chocolate Chip

Blueberry Macadamia Nut Cookies – Loretta Dough Base

Baked oatmeal cookies topped with blueberries and white chocolate morsels on a baking mat.

Honey, Blueberries, White Chocolate, Macadamia Nuts, Marshmallow

Blueberry Macadamia Nut

Communion Cookies

Unbaked cookie dough placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet, topped with white chocolate discs.

Original Loretta Dough topped with White Chocolate Melting Wafers

Communion Cookies

White Chocolate Chip, Oat, & Cranberry Cookies with Hemp Seeds

A close-up view of four colorful baked goods drizzled with chocolate, featuring blueberries and mixed berry toppings on a parchment paper background.

Honey, Blueberries, Cranberries, Dark Chocolate Chips, & Pecans. Melting Wafers Melted Topping

Protein Chocolate Chip Bars

Kathie’s Candied Ginger Cookies

Close-up of baked cookies with almond slices and chopped nuts on a textured baking mat.

Candied Ginger, Molasses, Pecans, & White Chocolate Melting Wafers

Kathie’s Candied Ginger Cookies

Lemon–Vanilla Curd

A rectangular baking dish containing a layer of liquid, possibly a cooking or melting process, with a brown crust around the edges, next to a fine mesh strainer holding a yellowish substance, situated on a stovetop.

Lemon & Vanilla Curd Filling

Plum Cranberry Compote

A close-up view of a pot on the stove containing simmering fruit, including slices of plum, in a thick red sauce.

Cherries, Honey, Molasses, Pecans, Oat, & White Chocolate

Plum Compote

Peach Nut Muffins

A serving of dessert featuring a layered cake topped with crunchy nuts and a drizzle of caramel, accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Honey, Peaches, White Chocolate, & Fischer Nut Mix

Peach Nut Muffins

Banana Nut Muffins

Close-up of baked goods resembling muffins with a crumbly topping in a muffin tin.

Honey, Bananas, White Chocolate, & Pecans

Banana Nut White Chocolate Wafer Muffins

Loretta Pie

A pie dish filled with slices of banana and topped with ice cream.
Ukraine Chocolate Sunflower Butter, Bananas, Cherries Compote, Pecans, Marshmallows and Chocolate.

Imperfect Inspirations

Close-up of freshly baked cookies topped with blueberries and white chocolate chips on a baking mat.
Close-up view of baked cookies topped with shiny red cherries, featuring a golden-brown base and a slightly crispy texture.
A close-up view of assorted baked goods featuring a mix of blueberry and chocolate drizzle on top, arranged on parchment paper.
Close-up of freshly baked blueberry cookies topped with shiny blueberries and a sprinkle of sugar.
Three freshly baked cookies on parchment paper, topped with dried cranberries and a white chocolate chip in the center.
A glass bowl filled with round cookies that have cherries and white chocolate chips on top, showcasing a golden-brown color.
Baked pie topped with fluffy white marshmallows inside an oven.
Oatmeal cookies topped with blueberries and marshmallows, arranged on a baking mat.
Close-up of a freshly baked cookie topped with dried cranberries and a blueberry, resting on a silicone baking mat.
Freshly baked cookies with marshmallows on a baking tray, featuring a golden brown color and a chewy texture.
Close-up of clusters of granola mixed with blueberries and mini marshmallows arranged on a baking sheet.
Close-up of a cookie topped with dark chocolate pieces and coarse sugar, resting on parchment paper.
Baked cookies with chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks on a baking sheet.
Baking sheet with freshly made cookie dough balls topped with white icing and chopped pecans.
Creamy cake batter mixed in a stainless steel bowl.
A square baked dessert topped with a glossy fruit jam, surrounded by a light-colored edge on a pink plate.
Close-up of sliced fruit pastries drizzled with white frosting, featuring pink fruit filling and a golden-brown crust on a paper background.
A baking tray lined with parchment paper displaying an assortment of colorful mini desserts, including cookies topped with cream and chocolate or fruit fillings.
Close-up of blueberry oatmeal cookies with a sprinkle of sugar on top, arranged on a baking sheet.
A tray of freshly baked cookies topped with almond slices and dollops of cherry preserves resting on a silicone baking mat.
A close-up image of freshly baked cookies with a nut topping, arranged in a neat pattern on a textured baking mat.
A baking tray filled with golden-brown baked fig cookies topped with slices of fresh figs in various colors, resting on a silpat mat.
A baking sheet filled with freshly baked cookies topped with white chocolate pieces, pecans, and coconut flakes, resting on a silicone baking mat.
Sandra Stone

Loretta Dough (White Flour Version)

No ratings yet
Original Version is a more bakery-style mix. The white flour will make cleaner cuts and lines.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 100
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Foundations, just desserts,, Snack
Cuisine: American, Foundation Cooking, French, Indian, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Satisfaction Kitchen, Southern
Calories: 76
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Wet Ingredients
  • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 8 ounces butter room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1-2 tablespoon molasses optional
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs room temperature
Dry Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup oat flour
  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 8 ounces white chocolate chopped
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
Makes: 1.5inch round, 1inch height

Equipment

  • Stand mixer
  • Baking pan of choice
  • Paddle attachment

Method
 

Bring the Cream Cheese, Butter, & Eggs to Room Temperature
  1. Bring 8 ounces cream cheese, 8 ounces butter, and 2 eggs to room temperature so they can emulsify when mixed.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
  1. In a separate bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 cups Total of Oat flour), 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup oat flour, 3 cups rolled oats, 8 ounces white chocolate, 1 cup pecans, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon sea salt
Mix the Wet Ingredients
  1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 1-2 tablespoon molasses, and (dates – if using), until smooth.
  2. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and incorporate the eggs one at a time. Scraping the sides between additions. Mix just until incorporated.
Combine Wet + Dry
  1. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Use the paddle attachment on low. Mix until evenly combined.
  2. If adding mix-ins gently do so now.
  3. Top as desired
  4. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Rotating halfway through.

Nutrition

Calories: 76kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 60mgPotassium: 34mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 93IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 0.3mg

Notes

1/2 cup of dates can be mixed into the wet ingredients with the honey.  Beat on high for 20-30 seconds to incorporate the dates into the wet dough.
Recipes that use Loretta Dough:
Chocolate Chip Oat & Blueberry with 7 Seed Nut Butter & Re-Hydrated Cranberries
Blueberry Macadamia Nut Cookies – Loretta Dough Base
Kathie’s Candied Ginger White Chocolate & Pecan Cookies
White Chocolate Chip, Oat, & CranberryCookies with Hemp Seeds
Plum Delicious Berry Tart
White Chocolate Chip, Oat, & CranberryCookies with Hemp Seeds
Communion Cookies
Just Desserts

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!
Sandra Stone

Loretta Dough – UpDated + All Oat Flour

No ratings yet
Changed all of the white flour to oat flour and added dates for Richness & Nutrition
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 100
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Foundations, just desserts,, Snack
Cuisine: American, Foundation Cooking, French, Mediterranean, Mexican, Satisfaction Kitchen, Southern
Calories: 79
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Wet Ingredients
  • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 8 ounces butter room temperature
  • 1/2 cup dates
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1-2 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs room temperature
Dry Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 2 cups oat flour
  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 8 ounces white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
Makes: 1.5inch round, 1inch height

Equipment

  • Stand mixer
  • Baking pan of choice
  • Paddle attachment

Method
 

Bring the Cream Cheese, Butter, & Eggs to Room Temperature
  1. Bring 8 ounces cream cheese, 8 ounces butter, and 2 eggs to room temperature so they can emulsify when mixed.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
  1. In a separate bowl, combine, 1/2 cup almond flour, 2 cups oat flour, 3 cups rolled oats, 8 ounces white chocolate chips, 1 cup pecans, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon sea salt
Mix the Wet Ingredients
  1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 1-2 tablespoon molasses, and (dates – if using), until smooth.
  2. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract and incorporate the eggs one at a time. Scraping the sides between additions. Mix just until incorporated.
Combine Wet + Dry
  1. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Use the paddle attachment on low. Mix until evenly combined.
  2. If adding mix-ins gently do so now.
  3. Top as desired
  4. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Rotating halfway through.

Nutrition

Calories: 79kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 60mgPotassium: 43mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 93IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 0.3mg

Notes

1/2 cup of dates can be mixed into the wet ingredients with the honey.  Beat on high for 20-30 seconds to incorporate the dates into the wet dough.
Recipes that use Loretta Dough:
Chocolate Chip Oat & Blueberry with 7 Seed Nut Butter & Re-Hydrated Cranberries
Blueberry Macadamia Nut Cookies – Loretta Dough Base
Kathie’s Candied Ginger White Chocolate & Pecan Cookies
White Chocolate Chip, Oat, & CranberryCookies with Hemp Seeds
Plum Delicious Berry Tart
White Chocolate Chip, Oat, & CranberryCookies with Hemp Seeds
Communion Cookies
Just Desserts

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

Is it real or ChatGPT?

Are Imperfections Good? Should we delete the word perfect?

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