Why You Aren't Supposed to Eat Raw Cookie Dough

Who hasn't been tempted to buy an entire roll of cookie dough and eat it raw? Raw cookie dough is one of the most delicious vices in the world-- and the treat of choice for break-ups and other heartaches. But there's a good reason that experts warn not to eat cookie dough. Here's why.

Cookie Dough and Salmonella

Both store-bought and home-mixed cookie dough usually contains egg. In most types of cookie, egg helps to add flavor and maintain a good texture. Sugar cookie dough, nut cookie dough, chocolate chip cookie dough, and chocolate cookie dough almost always contain raw eggs.

Chickens and most other avian livestock are often infected with salmonella. This form of bacteria can cause few or no symptoms for birds, but the infection may find its way into the animal's eggs. If eggs containing salmonella go into your cookie dough, it can cause a severe infection in the people who eat it.

How Serious is the Risk?

Although salmonella is uncommon, it does occur in raw eggs and in cookie dough from time to time. In fact, salmonella is the primary reason that eggs are recalled in the United States. Cooking destroys salmonella, but people eating raw egg are still at risk. You are not likely to contract salmonella infection, but the risk is significant enough to warrant avoiding raw cookie dough.

If you do contract a salmonella infection, you may develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours after eating cookie dough. Your odds of recovery are good, but you're in for at least a week of fairly severe symptoms. And, if you are if you are immunocomprimised, pregnant or a child, you may die of complications.

How to Stay Safe

You can eat raw cookie dough safely if you follow specific guidelines. Choose vegan cookie doughs made without egg. Ginger snap dough is usually cookie-free and safe to eat raw. If you're making your own cookie dough and want to eat it raw, use an egg substitute (available in most grocery stores) to give your doughs that characteristic taste and texture.

Some food products, like chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, are made with cookie dough that has been treated or cooked to eliminate salmonella. These are safe to eat in any quantity and do not require you to cook them.