Finally, some good news for raw-cookie-dough lovers

Cookie-dough lovers got a raw deal this summer.

In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a consumer update that warned of dangerous strands of E. coli found in unbaked, or raw, flour.

General Mills then voluntarily recalled 10 million pounds of flour sold under its Gold Medal, Signature Kitchens and Gold Medal Wondra brands. But experts said it was best to steer clear of all raw flours. Why flour, and how was it related to cookie dough?

The FDA explained it like this online:

“ ‘Flour is derived from a grain that comes directly from the field and typically is not treated to kill bacteria,’ says Leslie Smoot, a senior adviser in FDA’s Office of Food Safety and a specialist in the microbiological safety of processed foods.

“So if an animal heeds the call of nature in the field, bacteria from the animal waste could contaminate the grain, which is then harvested and milled into flour.

“Common ‘kill steps’ applied during food preparation and/or processing (so-called because they kill bacteria that cause infections) include boiling, baking, roasting, microwaving, and frying. But with raw dough, no kill step has been used.”

Meaning no more licking the spoon, scraping the bowl or handing off beaters to kids when baking up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

Rather than crumbling in despair, cookie-vores have looked to their grocery store shelves for dough that’s actually meant to be eaten raw. Brands like The Cookie Dough Cafe, Cookie DO and Edoughble use a heat-treated flour product that makes their dough safe to consume before baking.

Locally, small tubs of spoon-ready cookie dough can be found in the refrigerated aisles or healthy-foods sections of supermarkets such as Kroger, Tom Thumb, Sprouts and SuperTarget. They can be ordered online, too.

Kristen Tomlan, founder of New York-based Cookie DO, had the idea for her product after downing a tub of cookie dough with girlfriends on a weekend trip. While no one got sick, she knew that eating the raw dough was a gamble and set off to create a no-risk version.

“I wanted to be able to safely indulge in that childhood nostalgia,” she says.

Her dough includes a heat-treated flour and a pasteurized egg product, though she also makes gluten-free and vegan options. And even better, the dough can be baked into cookies — if there’s any left.

Rana Lustyan, who owns Los Angeles-based Edoughble with her husband, was inspired by a cookie dough recall that was linked to salmonella in raw eggs — so her product is egg-free. She also uses heat-treated flour and makes a butter-free vegan option, but Edoughble is meant only to be eaten raw — it won’t bake into cookies.

Heat-treated flour is only sold in giant quantities, and the FDA has suggested steering clear of all — not just recalled — flours.

Gina Hill, associate professor and director of the coordinated program in dietetics at Texas Christian University, says to heed the FDA’s advice, but she did mention one alternative: homemade almond flour.

With the popularity of gluten-free diets, many people are processing nuts into almond flour at home. Though not an exact equal, homemade almond flour can sometimes serve as an alternative to wheat-based flour, she says.

Cookie-dough ice cream lovers, by the way, are not off the hook. The FDA included in its warning that consumers should not make homemade cookie-dough ice cream. “If that’s your favorite flavor,” the agency said, “buy commercially made products. Manufacturers should use ingredients that include treated flour and pasteurized eggs.”

Just in time for summer indulgences, Blue Bell released its newest flavor, Cookie Two Step — “a creamy vanilla ice cream with hints of brown sugar, combined with chunks of chocolate crème filled cookies and tasty chocolate chip cookie dough pieces.”

A recent safety alert issued for Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream, though, had nothing to do with flour. The ice cream maker recalled tubs over concerns that they could contain tiny pieces of metal.

If you continue to lick the beaters, we’ll never tell. But if you want to keep things a little safer in the kitchen, whip up these recipes that use refrigerated, ready-to-go dough.

This story was originally published August 30, 2016 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Finally, some good news for raw-cookie-dough lovers."