Don’t Eat That Raw Cookie Dough – It Isn’t Just the Eggs!

Everybody loves the smell of fresh baked cookies wafting from the oven. Real estate agents will even go as far as warming store-bought cookies in the oven to entice buyers, and who doesn’t love a fresh warm cookie? But have you ever thought that cookie dough might be dangerous? Let us look at which ingredients bear watching and how cookie dough can contain foodborne pathogens.

First, everyone has heard that you are not supposed to eat raw eggs and this is because eggs can carry salmonella. Due to the number of cases of food borne illness caused by eggs, the FDA, USDA, AMS and APHIS agencies each have their own part to play in regulating how eggs are produced, handled, labeled, and sold. There are processes that farmers, producers, manufacturing facilities, transportation companies and your local grocery stores take to ensure that your eggs are managed safely. However, that is a whole different subject that we can discuss in an upcoming blog.

So how should we handle eggs? According to the FDA, only buy eggs that have been refrigerated, are clean, and uncracked. Once you get them home, make sure they are stored below 40 °in the refrigerator in their original carton. They should be used within 3 weeks from a quality perspective (1).

The yolk is the part of the egg that attracts pathogens, such as salmonella and E. coli. It is nutrient dense and contains what the pathogens need to survive and multiply (2). This is why it is important to make sure that the eggs stay below forty degrees, ensuring that any bacteria that are present do not multiply.

Another ingredient in cookie dough that needs to be handled with care is the raw flour. Flour that you buy in 5 lb. bags at the grocery store may contain pathogens. As with any grain or vegetable, wheat is grown outside, in a field, in soil, where the pathogens, protozoa, and other bacteria live. When the grain is harvested, it is taken to the mill and stored in bulk bins, and ground by the ton. It is then bagged and shipped, without being cooked to destroy bacteria. This is another source of salmonella or E. coli that can be found in your cookie dough, cake mix, pancake mix and anything else that contains flour which has not been cooked (3).

The FDA recommends that you should not add raw cake or cookie mixes to milkshakes, homemade ice cream or other drinks. Do not keep recalled flour or mixes, and do not try to heat treat them yourself. Make sure that you follow the cooking instructions when you are preparing cookies, cakes, or brownies. The times and temperatures that are given have been determined by the manufacturer or the person who created the recipe to ensure that the items are thoroughly cooked (4).

Make sure that when you are preparing your cookies, that you are mindful of cross contamination. Flour can easily end up in crooks and crannies that are easy to miss during clean up. Make sure that when you are finished and are cleaning up that you use warm soapy water, and even a sanitizer on your workspace to ensure that any bacteria have been destroyed.

If you exhibit signs that you have been infected by a food borne pathogen, it is best to be seen by your physician. Vomiting, diarrhea, fever, body aches or abdominal pain are signs that you may have a foodborne illness or eaten something that you shouldn’t have.

Are you still craving that raw cookie dough? You would be best served to get a bowl of cookie dough ice cream. The cookie dough in store bought ice cream has been processed to ensure that the harmful bacteria has been eliminated, so it is a much safer option (4).

Remember, if you have questions or would like me to cover a subject that you are interested in concerning food safety, contact me using the Contact Us page. As always, stay safe, wash your hands, and make cookie baking memories.

1.  Center for Food Safety, & Nutrition, A. (n.d.). What You Need to Know About Egg Safety. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/what-you-need-know-about-egg-safety

2. What part inside the egg carries bacteria? (2015, October 1). Egg Safety Center. https://eggsafety.org/faq/what-part-inside-the-egg-carries-bacteria/

3. Raw Flour: A Potential Hazard in Your Restaurant. (n.d.). Penn State Extension. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://extension.psu.edu/raw-flour-a-potential-hazard-in-your-restaurant

4. Center for Food Safety, & Nutrition, A. (n.d.). Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to Know. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/handling-flour-safely-what-you-need-know