The cookie dough was split into 2 parts and those parts were split into 2 parts and those parts were split into 2 parts and lastly, those parts were split into 2 parts. If each of the final parts was a cookie, how many were there?
The first split results in 2 parts.
The second split results in 2*2 = <<2*2=4>>4 parts.
The third split results in 2*2*2 = <<2*2*2=8>>8 parts.
The final split results in 2*2*2*2 = <<2*2*2*2=16>>16 parts.
Therefore, there were 16 cookies. Answer: \boxed{16}.