We all know how delicious cookies are, right? But how about raw cookie dough – let’s say that you are hurrying for a date with friends, but you really are craving something sweet right now! Can you grab a box of pre-made raw cookie dough and just enjoy it on the way, in your car?
Stay with us and find out why this tasty treat, can turn out to be very dangerous, despite its appetizing looks! We will tell you all about why we do not recommend eating raw cookie dough and even more – how to make your own amazing cookie dough, yes still raw, but safe and homemade!
Let’s Estimate the Risks
Most people know how to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies and the recipes almost always include eggs and all purpose flour, which is alright because before we actually eat the cookies, we bake them, so there is no actual danger there.
So does this mean that if we want our cookie dough to be safe, we must bake it? Not exactly! You can still eat it raw, but we will find out about this in a minute, let us learn first about the dangers of eating dough straight from the package box.
It is a well-known fact that untreated eggs might contain a type of bacteria called Salmonella, which can cause food poisoning, but not many people know that eggs are not the only thing that might lead to unfortunate events. Consuming raw flour might be just as risky!
Existing Bacteria in Raw Flour
It has been discovered that there are some bacterias living in raw flour as well. The Shiga Toxin, which can be found in flour, can lead to producing Ecoli and this is yet another factor, that can make you feel sick. Although the Ecoli usually lives in moist places, it can be transmitted in the product during the manufacturing process, if contaminated equipment was used, or even by animal droppings.
Now that we have bombarded you with all the scary facts, let us brighten up your day again! Nowadays eating pre-made dough is not as dangerous as big companies started using pasteurised eggs and heat-treated flour. Pasturising the eggs is a process of heating them up just enough to kill all bacteria, without starting the process of cooking. Heating up the flour to at least 160˚F or 71˚C does the same thing – it kills the bacteria and minimises all risks.
Homemade Eggless Raw Cookie Dough
We have prepared for you a delicious recipe for homemade cookie dough in case you are in the mood to try something new! It is simple and quick to do, we can guarantee that you will love it in the end.
Ingredients
- 2 and ¼ cups of all purpose flour
- 1 cup of butter
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- 2 tsp of vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp of milk
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2 cups of chocolate chips
Instructions
Step 1 – Toast the flour
Spread the flour on a baking tray and bake it for around 10 minutes at 350˚F or 175˚C.
Step 2 – Prepare the dough
Tip: In order to have all of your ingredients easily incorporated, the butter must be either at room temperature or melted, while the eggs have to be at room temperature. If your butter was in the fridge, you can melt it in the microwave for 15 seconds.
In a big bowl add the melted butter, the brown sugar, vanilla extract, milk and salt. Mix until you have a smooth but loose paste. Sift the flour and add it to the bowl with the wet mixture. Stir and fold it, until the dough forms then add the chocolate chips.
Chill it in the fridge overnight or for at least a couple of hours.
Tip: If you are not too fond of chocolate, you can remove the chocolate chips from the recipe and substitute them with walnuts – it will work just as well!
To Summarise It All
Raw eggs can contain Salmonella, while by eating raw flour – which we do not recommend, under any circumstances, you risk being exposed to an Ecoli infection.
You can prevent the above by cooking your eggs instead of eating them raw, or in case you want to enjoy some pre-made cookie dough, looked for “pasteurised eggs” in the ingredients list. Unfortunately, most companies do not include “heat treated flour” as an ingredient, but the good thing is that you can make your own cookie dough, which you can refrigerate and enjoy in small batches!
Tip: If you are the creative type, you can even incorporate it into other desserts like cupcakes for extra flavour and sweetness!
We hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful! As much as we all love a good box of cookie dough, now that you know the ups and downs of it, maybe you will consider marking your own and even perfecting our recipe or creating one of your own! That would be a blast!
Stay tuned for more recipes like this and fun articles – we will always provide you with the best kind of information with a sweet twist in the end, just like a cupcake with cookie dough in the centre! What a surprise – haven’t thought about it, why not do it now, after reading our recipe, don’t you have a fresh batch of cookie dough on the counter anyway?
