Let’s face it, the best thing about baking cookies is eating the dough.  Nothing soothes the sweet tooth like licking the mixing bowl clean, but if your mother is anything like mine, then you were certainly told that eating too much would make you sick.  But does it really?  Well, yes and no.

I’ve seen more than a couple roommates tear through tubes of store-bought cookie dough without so much as batting an eye.  Although the cookie didn’t bring their boyfriends back, it didn’t make them sick either.   I later discovered that most prepackaged cookie dough contains pasteurized eggs that have been “flashed cooked” to a high enough temperature to kill any bacteria that could harm consumers. The eggs are still officially “raw” and act as an emulsifier (or binding agent)  in the cookies, but are no longer dangerous**.  So, technically you could eat quite a bit and probably be fine, although I wouldn’t recommend it.

Homemade cookie dough is another story.  Unless your grandmother is pasteurizing eggs in her kitchen (and trust us, she’s not), the ingredients in the dough are good-old-fashioned raw.  Raw eggs often contain salmonella that can be extremely dangerous, even deadly, when consumed.  The salmonella is killed during the baking process, which explains why baked cookies are safe to eat.  Teenagers and adults with stronger immune systems might be able to get away with tasting a few morsels of dough.  Small children, sick people, and the elderly should definitely wait until the cookies have been baked to begin enjoying.

How much CAN I eat before I throw up?

**Most cookie dough manufacturers suggest NOT eating raw cookie dough, even from the package.  When in doubt, play it safe!