The holidays bring the joy of time with family and friends! One tradition is making cookies to share. It is important to handle cookie dough safely to not spoil holiday fun.
You may not realize it, but most flour is a raw food. And it hasn’t been treated to kill any bacteria (germs) it may contain. Cooking and baking is what kills any bacteria in flour, as well as in raw eggs that are often used with it.
To stay safe, don’t eat or taste raw (uncooked) flour, dough or batter. Also, don’t let children use raw dough for crafts or “play clay.” Even if children don’t eat the dough, they may put their hands in their mouth after handling it.
Many cookies are shaped with your hands. Resist the temptation to lick your fingers or sample the cookie dough! Risks from eating raw eggs and now uncooked flour, can increase your risk of getting a foodborne illness. Regardless of the brand or source of flour or eggs, the risk of foodborne illness is present when consumed raw.
Be sure hard surfaces to roll out cookie dough are clean and sanitized before and after dough has been in contact with the surface.
As always, wash your hands before and after handling cookie dough or any raw foods. Follow recipe instructions for baking cookies at proper temperatures and specified times.
Learn more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
