We Finally Know How To Make Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough
Licking raw dough off the spoon while waiting for cookies to bake is one of the great joys of childhood that, looking back on it as an adult, you realize was actually pretty unsafe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are two ingredients present in raw cookie dough that can make you very, very sick.
While most people are aware of the dangers of eating raw eggs (they can contain salmonella,) many don't know that flour is actually considered a raw food as well, and is known to carry Escherichia coli, aka E. coli, a germ that frequently causes food poisoning. In fact, in 2016 and 2019, there were two E. coli outbreaks linked to the consumption of raw flour which made over 80 people sick. Luckily for the child inside us all, Vermont-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry's not only sells bags of the edible raw cookie dough they use in some of their most popular flavors — three out of their top five, according to Frozen Food Europe — but has recently also released the recipe for their chocolate chip version of the edible dough so you can make it at home to snack on without fear.
How to make cookie dough at home that is safe to eat raw
On their website, Ben & Jerry's explains that there are two essential aspects to making cookie dough that is safe to eat raw. The first is that you need to create a dough that is egg-free, and the second is that you must heat treat the flour to kill off any possible germs or bacteria lurking within the powdery depths. Heat treating flour is basically just cooking the ingredient separately before adding it to the rest of the mix. That way the cookie dough remains "raw" while eliminating the dangers from consuming uncooked ingredients. To heat treat flour, you can either microwave the ingredient on high for 30 second intervals, or bake it in a conventional oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for two minute intervals, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit throughout. Other than that crucial step, the recipe is pretty straight forward. You just need to mix the flour together with softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, heavy cream, kosher salt, and chocolate chips for a totally safe raw dough.
If you want, you can definitely bake this edible cookie dough recipe, though Ben & Jerry's recommend eating it raw, or sprinkled over your favorite ice cream flavor for maximum fun. Count us in!