Why you should say no to raw cookie dough - even when not using eggs

DPA
·2 min read
You might not want to hear it, but eating raw cookie dough can make you sick even when it doesn't contain eggs. There's another main ingredient that harbours health risks. Christin Klose/dpa
You might not want to hear it, but eating raw cookie dough can make you sick even when it doesn't contain eggs. There's another main ingredient that harbours health risks. Christin Klose/dpa

Ther's something so tempting about raw cookie dough that it's long been sold as a pre-made snack not even intended to make it onto the baking tray.

Manufacturers have to make sure that their products are safe to eat, which is why they are using pasteurized eggs or no eggs for the batter.

Many a baker, aware of the dangers of salmonella, might think they are fine to snack on home-made dough after simply replacing eggs, with apple puree or bananas for example, but in fact, it's not just the eggs that can cause food poisoning.

Wheat, spelt and rye flour can also cause infections, the state consumer protection organization in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia warns. Flour samples have repeatedly been found to contain pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), which can trigger acute intestinal inflammation and, in the worst case, lead to kidney failure.

As the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) puts it, "Flour doesn't look like a raw food, but most flour is raw."

"Harmful germs can contaminate grain while it's still in the field or flour while it's being made," the US agency explains. "Steps like grinding grain and bleaching flour don't kill harmful germs - and these germs can end up in flour or baking mixes you buy at the store."

Those with a weak immune system are particularly at risk when eating raw dough or batter, like small children or pregnant people, says the German consumer protection agency.

Manufacturers of pre-made cookie dough deemed safe to eat raw may therefore use heat-treated flour on top of pasteurized eggs.

When baking at home, you would have to pre-heat the flour at a core temperature of more than 70 degrees Celsius for at least two minutes to kill the germs, but the German consumer organization says it's safest to forego the raw dough and wait until your goods are fully baked.

When you're done baking, make sure to thoroughly wash your hands and clean all appliances and surfaces using water and soap.