chocolate chip cookies

Photo From MarthaStewart.com



Be honest.

Do you eat raw cookie dough?

I do. There. I said it. I know it's not the safest thing in the world, but I just can't help myself.

And from the looks of this cookie dough Food and Drink question, it appears I am not the only one...

According to all the research I've done on the topic, raw cookie dough made with raw eggs is potentially not safe to eat. This is simply because raw eggs can have harmful bacteria, including Salmonella.

But raw cookie dough is so tasty! Sometimes I think it might be worth the risk.

The good news for myself and fellow raw cookie dough consumers—I know there are many of you!—is that many commercially available cookie dough products are made with pasteurized eggs or pasteurized egg products. These ARE safe to consume.

It also is possible to make cookie dough without eggs, if your sole motivation is to actually eat the raw dough and not bake cookies. In fact, here's a recipe from Love and Olive Oil:

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

1 1/8 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

3/8 cup granulated sugar

3/8 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons soy milk or milk

3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla with electric mixer until creamy. Add the soy milk and beat well. Add in the salt, baking soda, and flour and slowly mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Consume worry-free!