It’s almost certain that most people take a bite of raw cookie dough to test for quality when baking. Or the smell of the raw cookie dough may entice a quick sample taste.
However, few consider the possibility of bacteria salmonella present in the raw ingredients.
With that, can you eat raw cookie dough without eggs? Yes. However, it would be best if you only took a bite once in a while or avoid it completely. Generally, apart from eggs, cookie dough contains other food-based and dairy ingredients, which may pose health risks when consumed raw.
Also, these ingredients may be contaminated and can result in food poisoning.
Is There A Safe-To-Eat Raw Cookie Dough Without Eggs Recipe?
Yes. There is a safer option of enjoying cookie dough if your craving doesn’t get any better. You can make edible cookie dough with heat-sterilized flour.
Ingredients include:
- All-purpose flour
- Softened butter
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
- Milk
Preparation Method
- Heat-sterilize your flour by baking it for five minutes at 175 °C.
- Mix your milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
- Mix your heat-sterilized flour and chocolate chips in a separate bowl.
- Combine the two mixtures and stir them thoroughly in a large bowl.
You can enjoy this delicious edible cookie dough without fear of getting sick from the raw flour germs. You can also store it in a refrigerator for later use.
Are There Other Ways of Consuming Edible Cookie Dough?
Yes. Instead of taking it just as it is, you can use it to make delicious desserts. Read on for the current fancy ideas of consuming edible cookie dough.
Method #1 – Make Sandwiches
You can make delicious cookie dough sandwiches using this edible dough. You do this by smashing the dough between cooked cookies. These can be wafers, chocolate chip cookies, vanilla cookies, or Oreo cookies.
Method #2 – Make Dips
This dough can make tasty dips when mixed with fruits like pears, apples, or sturdy crackers. You can also mix your softened cream cheese with it to make yummy dips for breakfast.
Method #3 – Make Sundaes
Mix two scoops of ice cream and four scoops of edible cookie dough to make a sundae. To make it appetizing, top with cherry or whipped cream.
Method #4 – Make Truffles
You can make delicious cookie dough truffles by pouring melted chocolate on top of edible cookie dough balls. Eat them as a mid-morning snack.
Method #5 – Make Cupcakes
This raw dough is perfect to use as a filling for your cupcakes. Take out some cake in the middle of your cupcake. Fill that gap with your raw cookie dough. Frost them for your next sale or consumption by your family.
Are There Risks Associated With Eating Raw Cookie Dough Without Eggs?
Yes. Eating raw cookie dough even without eggs can cause serious health issues. Normally, many people think that flour is harmless. But it contains germs like Escherichia Coli (E. coli), which can be dangerous to your health.
You probably think that it’s rare for flour to contain such strains. But it isn’t. Generally, flour is made from wheat. These grains come from the fields directly and don’t undergo any treatment to kill germs or bacteria.
They are then milled into the flour with all the contaminations from the field by animals, pests, and human beings. The only way to eliminate these germs and bacteria is by boiling, frying, microwaving, baking, or roasting the product. So, if you eat the raw dough, you’ll probably be consuming these germs.
Risks associated with eating E. coli germs include:
- Dehydration
- Diarrhea or bloody stools
- Kidney failure
- Severe abdominal pain
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Gas
- Fatigue
These symptoms are experienced within the first ten days after consuming raw dough that has E. coli. Study shows that about 5% of the infected persons develop hemolytic uremic syndrome or HUS.
This condition causes severe damage to red blood cells. This damaging can result in death or kidney failure. So, it’s better to say no to raw cookie dough with or without eggs.
Are There Factors That Can Increase Dangers Of Consuming Raw Dough?
Anyone can get E. coli infection after eating raw cookie dough without eggs. However, some people are more prone to these germs than others. This depends on factors like age and the immune system.
Age
Children and older people are at high risk of getting sick after taking raw cookie dough. The complications can be serious or fatal if infected with E. coli germs. Therefore, they should avoid taking it no matter the quantity.
Immune System
People with various health conditions and pregnant women have weak immunity. Although they can recover from some diseases, it’s not easy. Consuming germs or bacteria can be fatal to them.
For this reason, they must avoid compromising their health further by consuming anything contagious. For instance, raw cookie dough can easily infect them with E. coli germs, which can be dangerous to their health.
After How Long Can You Start Experiencing Symptoms from Eating Raw Cookie Dough?
Most people enjoy raw cookie dough as much as they want. They think it’s not harmful to their health as they don’t encounter any health issues immediately after consumption. They don’t get sick right away due to the incubation period of E. coli bacteria present in the flour.
For people with weakened immunity, symptoms begin from 6 – 48 hours after getting infected with these germs. Others start to experience them from 1 -10 days after E. coli infection.
If managed properly, the symptoms may last for a week or 10 days. If they are severe or go beyond ten days, you should call your doctor for further treatment.
Final Thoughts
- Many people take bites of raw cookie dough as they test for quality before baking.
- Even though you can eat this dough, especially without eggs, you should do it cautiously. The reason is that raw flour may contain E. coli germs which can be detrimental to your health.
- There is a safe-to-eat dough without eggs recipe. It is prepared with heat-sterilized flour, unlike the one with raw flour.
- You can use this edible dough to make sandwiches, dips, cupcakes, sundae, and truffle desserts.
- There are several risks associated with eating raw cookie dough, even without eggs. They include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, kidney failure, fatigue, dehydration, and gas.
- Factors like the immune system and age determine how bad the symptoms can get.
- Those with low immunity start experiencing the symptoms from 6 – 48 hours. Others may get sick from 1 – 10 days after consumption.