Cookie dough refers to a blend of cookie

Cookie

In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have...

 ingredients which has been mixed into a malleable form which has not yet been hardened by heat

Heat

In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...

. The dough is often then separated and the portions baked to individual cookies, or eaten as is.

Cookie dough can be homemade or bought pre-made in packs (frozen logs, buckets, etc.). Desserts containing cookie dough, such as ice cream

Ice cream

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...

, candy

Candy

Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...

, and milkshake are also frequently marketed.

Cookie-dough-flavored ice cream was first popularized by Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's is an American ice cream company, a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate, that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, United...

 retail ice cream, chocolate chip cookie dough

Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream

Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is an increasingly common ice cream flavor in which unbaked chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough is embedded in vanilla- or cream-flavored ice cream.-History:...

, using cookie dough from food distributor Rhino Foods

Rhino Foods

Rhino Foods Incorporated, founded in 1981 by Anne and Ted Castle, is a specialty ice cream novelty and ice cream ingredient manufacturer located in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Rhino Foods has grown from a small ice cream shop, Chessy's Frozen Custard, into a major Vermont business with over...

.

Common ingredients

• Butter or margarine
• Sugar
• Brown sugar
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• Flour
• baking powder

Health concerns

Because of the presence of raw egg, the consumption of uncooked cookie dough increases the possibility of contracting the foodborne illness

Foodborne illness

Foodborne illness is any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as chemical or natural toxins such as poisonous mushrooms.-Causes:Foodborne illness usually arises from improper handling, preparation, or...

 salmonellosis

Salmonellosis

Salmonellosis is an infection with Salmonella bacteria. Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. In most cases, the illness lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment...

. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) strongly discourages the consumption of all food products containing raw egg because of this threat. Cookie dough designed specifically for eating raw (such as that found in ice cream) is made either without raw egg or with pasteurized

Pasteurization

Pasteurization is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately. This process slows microbial growth in food...

 eggs and is safe to eat.
In June 2009, the FDA issued a recall for Nestlé Cookie Dough for potentially dangerous amounts of E. coli. There have been more than 7,000 cases of E. coli poisoning linked to this cookie dough, but none of the cases were fatal.