It’s holiday season, and by extension, cookie season.
With it comes all the temptations of diving into that mixing bowl of buttery batter before it’s even given a second to bake.
But you shouldn’t eat raw cookie dough. If not for being a joy-stealing Grinch, but for your own health. Even the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention in the U.S. releases an annual reminder to steer clear of raw dough.
Why Shouldn’t I Eat Raw Cookie Dough?
Raw Eggs
Raw eggs can have salmonella, which is something many people are aware of, and something many people ignore anyway.
According to Health Canada, salmonella is typically found on the shell, but it’s also known to develop in the egg before it’s laid. So, eating a raw egg will always come with some risk attached to it. (We should note that salmonella is very rare in Canadian eggs, and most people recover after a few days, but children, the elderly, or the pregnant can be more vulnerable.)
Related: 5 Best Christmas Cookies With Three Ingredients or Less
Raw Flour
Alternatively, not many people identify raw flour as a health risk. Officially, flour is considered a raw food that can carry bacteria until it’s cooked; as a grain product, it can come in contact with contaminants from soil, water and waste before making it onto store shelves.
Don’t forget the flour recall from last year, where 28 people got sick in Canada after an E.coli outbreak that was linked to flour and flour products!
What about cookie dough ice cream?
Chill out – your precious ice cream is safe. Cookie dough ice creams are typically made with pasteurized eggs and heat-treated flour which are safe to eat, so indulge to your stomach’s content!
Photo Credit: Elena Shashkinda/Shutterstock.com; Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com
