Cookies are little bites of happiness that bring the family together and are a favorite holiday treat! Keep the cookie making safe at your household with these simple food safety tips:

• Wash counter tops and hands before preparing your recipe. Use only clean utensils such as mixing bowls, baking pans and measuring spoons.
• Wash your hands again after handling raw eggs.
• Do not eat raw cookie dough which contains raw eggs, including licking the spoon. Bacteria can be present in raw eggs. Salmonella is one example of bacteria sometimes found in raw eggs.
• All purpose flour has been the target of a recent recall due to contamination with E. coli. Again, to avoid getting sick, do not eat raw cookie dough.
• If you want your cookies to taste fresh longer than a few days, freeze them until you are ready to use them. Package your cookies in freezer quality bags, containers, etc. to preserve the quality of the cookies. Label and date the cookies so you know what is in each package. For specific information on freezing baked good, check out the Michigan State University Extension news article: “It’s not too early to make holiday baked goods”.
• Do not prepare baked goods when you are sick. Save the holiday baking until you are feeling better to avoid spreading germs to others.

Content originally from Michigan State Extension