this is really really funny. There were some strong voices against tasting cookie dough. Glad you went with the more relaxed approach. The things we worry about, versus the things we probably should worry about, are vastly different, aren't they?

I'm glad they got to experience the joy of licking the spoon :) it's the best part about baking! yum.

Gah, I taste raw cookie dough all the time. (pushing 50 years now *cough*) It's good!! Safe too. Did you know there's raw egg in mayo? Even the light stuff. You & your kids eat that, right? No? Just Tony? Hmmmmmm . . .

ps - your daughter is too cute for words.

I think it was worth the risk (the tiny tiny one. The husband eats raw cookie dough all the time.) just for that second picture. She is too freaking cute.

I don't know, but I did a lot when I was little, and raw pastry and anything else I could get my hands on come to think of it. I'm still alive to tell the tale.
Cheers

YAY FOR YOU, Y!!!! *claps wildly*

I love the picture where she's wolfing the spoon! And your boys, being so worried....how sweet!

I'm exactly the way you are, but having been a mother for SEVEN WHOLE years now, I have relaxed a bit, and on occasion, let them lick the spoon.

And your daughter? Is completely adorable. (your sons are handsome too, but you know it's the 3yo girl that gets the attention. Mine just turned 4, so I'm there w/ you.) Your daughter still has the nibble-able cheeks though, where mine looks all "little kid" now. She's still adorable, but I miss those cheeks.

Enjoy the dough! :) (And the cheeks.)

Da Dough Rules! Whichbox above is soo right.. "things we worry about, versus the things we probably should worry about". I would give my daughter a freakin' vat of dough if it would take away the worry we are going thru now.

Plus, some of the best memories I have are fighting with my sister about who gets to lick the bowl/spoon.

So funny - and I'm so proud of you! Licking the beaters/spoon/bowl is one of the best parts about childhood!

My husband insists on licking every kitchen item that touches cake batter, cookie dough, or frosting. It must be tasted! I can only imagine our children will do the same.

YAY for little tastes of raw dough! And can I just say, those pictures are adorable!!!

Adorable! Glad to hear that the kids loved it. It is good!

My husband and kids whipped up some cake batter and ate it spoonful by spoonful last night. It's something they do once in awhile, and it's been happening for years. They are all still kicking. ;)

That IS a big step. You're my hero, Y. Seriously.

Now I suddenly have the urge to whip up a batch and just eat the dough.

I've eaten more then my share of cookie dough in this life time and have yet to feel even remotely sick (expect for the sick I feel when I eat too much at once) *touch wood*

Way to let go, even just a little!!

Ahem have you HAD the cake batter ice cream from cold stone?! Oh My God. It's so dang good. If you've never had it just stay away, skip it, it makes dieting too hard with that piece of heaven on this earth!!!

I think we call this PROGRESS.

Congratulations to you & the spoon-lickers.

That's a hoot! I never thought about NOT parceling out the beaters and spatula and keeping the bowl for myself. I'm thinking that's why we haven't gotten the flu.

(Yes, I realize I just cursed myself)

I am SO proud, Y!!

We've been known to mix up cookie dough or even cake batter...just to eat it raw!!

The photos are precious, as usual.

Hmmm, still not sure about the whole raw egg thing. When I make cookies, I usually have a little taste of the dough, and eat some of the chocolate chips. Just now though, I remembered something from my childhood. My mother (a nurse!) used to make us eggnog with raw eggs whipped into it. And none of us ever got sick. Even though there were slimy raw egg bits in the nog, we loved it. So, okay, let Gabby have her happiness with the spoon. By the way, she is the cutest child I have ever seen, and your photos are beautiful.

If I wasn't such a nice person I would say I told you so.

Instead I'll say, good for you! Just look at that face - was it not worth it for that face?

My goodness but she is divine! Hoorah for being a bit daring, I think of you whenever I lick the spoon after baking, my kids react as though I asked them to lick a dogs arse when I offer them the spoon, they may never know what they are missing!

I love how the boys are all serious about it. They take your word as law. As it should be. :)

I love it. I love that your boys have NEVER TASTED COOKIE DOUGH! I think I get a sick little charge out of it because I have some, ahem, control/protective issues myself. Although mine don't happen to involve cookie dough. Anyway, hilarious post and great pictures of G. She's such a doll.

so - next, cake batter?

Too cute! Um, I've always let my kids have a taste of the raw cookie dough. But, not alot. *g*

I must admit, one time I ate ALL of the dough - I'm still ok.

Hurray for not dying and enjoying childhood [even if it is just tiny steps at a time].

And tell me again, what's wrong with being a paranoid freak of a mother?

I'm having a little girl (my 4th) in July. We are planning a trip to Disneyland next January. I asked my mother if she would watch Lily (our baby due in July) so we could go and not worry about dragging around a 7 month old. She said she would. I then told her that I was glad she would watch her because she is more paranoid than I am and that makes me feel better about my children and their safety. Sometimes being paranoid isn't such a bad thing.
I do however, allow my older daughters to lick the spoon...

Um.

We make cookies every couple of days. I give each of my (three!) kids a scoop of cookie dough every. single. time.

I like the spoon more than I should.

We are all still alive and well.

that's fantastic. these are the awesome parenting moments. very good parenting!

that's fantastic. these are the awesome parenting moments. very good parenting!

Hooray for Cookie Dough! Cake Batter next!

I'm not sure sure about the previous comment about mayonnaise... isn't it pasteurized and processed when it's jarred to kill anything? Kinda like canning vegetables or fruit? I doubt mayo has the same risk as home made cookie dough.

That said, I always eat the cookie dough and my husband and I argue over who gets the lick the bowl of left-over cake batter after it goes in the oven.

If raw eggs are good enough for Rocky Balboa, they're good enough for me.

Add me to the anecdotal list of someone that has been ignoring the raw egg "risk" for almost 4 decades and has never had a problem.

Good Job, Y. You know, letting go is so freaking hard, but when you do it, it does feel good.

I rarely ever make cookies, I just eat the dough. Thankfully-- I am 29 and still alive, sooooo. I am a living testament to the cookie dough safety. Hee hee.

woohoot! for the paranoid mama! i mean, for the small steps for the paranoid mama!
i mean, for the giant steps for the perfect and completely NOT therapy-inducing mama.
forfuxsakes. good job mama. i think we all learned a lesson here.

everybody needs to make more cookies.

I used to be totally scared of this too, but have loosened up... and I have to say that I have NEVER gotten sick from the raw eggs.

Cookeh dough rules, man!

-H

Hurray for not dying and enjoying childhood. That IS a big step.

Good Job. I also ever make cookies, I just eat the dough :)

You're a good and brave mother for doing that for them. You're right about the raw eggs. You were not wrong.

Though I knew it wasn't good for me, one of my comfort foods when I was having a really bad day/week was eating raw cake mix. Either in a day or over several days I would consume all of the cake mix while curled up under my high rise bed. I haven't done it in years, but I'm often tempted.

Yeah Gabby!

(I think I'm the paranoid mother to beat all others, because I would have let my older two eat the cookie dough, knowing that their bodies would be better able to fight the bacteria, but I would never let my little girl eat the cookie dough because the bacteria would have gone systemic in her little body. Is that paranoid or what?)

I am so excited for her! It IS one of the best things about childhood (and PMS!) to be able to lick the spoon (scrape the bowl clean!).

I saw on Food Network once that only 1 in 20,000 eggs carries salmonella and then you'd have to eat that particular one raw and how unlikely is that? But also, you're completely safe if you buy pastuerized eggs which are expensive but you know... pasteurized. :)

I laughed so loud while I was reading this - my boyfriend had to know what I was laughing at and I read the whole thing to him and he was laughing too. Then I showed him the photographs and my-cold-hearted-bastard actually grinned at her trying to swallow that spoon. :)

I am so proud of you

Good for you. Raw cookie dough is so good. When my kids were little we liked eating the leftover brownie batter. They liked it so much, though, I eventually had to make the rule that whoever made the brownies got first dibs on the batter. My son was about 10 when he made his first batch of brownies.
Oh, yeah, your daughter is gorgeous!!

I found pastuerized (I'm not going to look up the spelling on that) eggs that apparently eliminate the risk...I'm going to eat an entire bowl of dough if that's the case!
Gabby is TOO adorable!

it's ok for Y to have a tiny taste too...if she wants one!

our high school has cookie dough in the dessert line! I was surprised when my son told me, I wonder if maybe the eggs aren't raw?

meant to mention that your daughter is the most beautiful child on the entire internet.

Usually, the raw egg death doesn't manifest until days later.

(I"M KIDDING! THEY"LL SURVIVE JUST FINE!)

You know the pre-made tubes at the market? I have eaten one of those in a sitting. When I was a kid, me and my best friend would make cookie dough and eat the whole bowl without making a single cookie.
I'm 30. She's a PhD student. We're both doing quite well. Haha.

OMG, Y, she looks so much like you!! Too cute!

As the stepmother of a child who did in fact have salmonella, trust me. Your paranoia is warranted. I don't know how much raw egg it would take to get it? But salmonella in a kid is freaking scary. Not that I think your raw egg had salmonella in it. In fact, I support the rights of mothers to give their children small amounts of raw egg and not worry about salmonella. I just wanted to share.

I've eaten many a spoons of raw cookie dough so don't worry. I didn't die and I graduated college Cum Laude :)

Hilarious! I love those pictures of your gorgeous daughter, too.

Ahhh, their first cookie dough...fabulous. Adorable pictures. I don't remember my first cookie dough but I wish there were pictures of it.

If it makes you feel better let them taste it sans eggs but seriously, if anyone could die from it, I would not be here. I know lots of people that buy the Pillsbury dough from the store and just eat it.
And have you not had chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream? To die for (oh, sorry..not REALLY!!)

Yeay for you! Congrats Y. :-) Your boys will totally remember this moment and talk about it at dinners when they are adults.

I have a picture of one of my friends eating an entire raw egg. He is still here, sperminating women as we speak.

We do the dough all the time. Let's have a dough party. Build up our salmonella tolerances!!!

Next you will be letting them ride unrestrained in a moving vehicle with lollipops in their mouths! Hehe!

Bwah! Picture #2? Priceless. You are getting quite good at the PhotOgraphies.!

more importantly, when did your boys start talking like LOLcats?

that cracked me up.

Your boys are adorable, they look out for their little sister!

Dude. Your kids are my favorite.

as someone who makes meals of cookie dough on a regular basis....i'm so glad you gave in and let them try it. it really IS heaven.

My mother was never big on making us breakfast. She came up with the brilliant idea of making nutritious "eggnog" every day. It was created by pouring milk, Nestle's Quik, and 4 raw eggs in the blender. I drank it happily every day for many years. While it seems COMPLTELY GROSS to me now, I am , nonetheless, not dead.

The boys' reaction was priceless.

I have been known to make cookie dough JUST to eat it raw and never actually bake it. What can I say, I live on the wildside. ;)

ah...great memories. My mother used a hand mixer and each of us got a beater to lick. Now that I think back on it, perhaps she did this on purpose to quell arguements over the coveted spoon?

I'm of the cover-your-ass mentality and I buy pasteurized eggs.

But then, I eat sushi.

I'm complex--hear me roar.

That second picture rules!!!!

Woo-hoo! I LOVED the photo's with that - really could feel you WATCHING her eat that dough! Were you holding your breath???

Y, your daughter looks just like you. Gorgeous!

That second picture alone had to have been worth the risk. She is so cute and funny :)

My daughter wanted to eat cookie dough the other day but I was too paranoid, so I took some chocolate chips out of the dough, rinsed them off and gave them to her. Overkill?

Those are such cute pictures of Gabby! We had a little bit of cookie dough last night, too. The boys' reactions were so funny. Glad everyone indulged just a little bit and enjoyed it.

I'm new here, and you probably hear these things all the time, but your daughter looks JUST like you, and she's gorgeous! :)

I love cookie dough. I have been known to buy those tubs of cookie dough from a scout and eat it with a spoon instead of ever making cookies.

Last night I thought of you when the following took place ... I made chocolate chip cookies (from a mix) and had my husband stir the batter for me (as he always does). I placed the dough on the cookie sheet and returned the spoon and bowl to my husband to lick (as he always does). For the first time in 10 years, he looked up at me and said, "but that has RAW egg in it, doesn't it?" I told him, "Yes, just like every time you've ever licked the spoon. What's your problem?" He took the spoon and ate. I wonder if he's been reading your blog ...

Funny, Funny, Funny :) I grew up eating spoonfuls- now I lovingly tell my kids they can't because of raw eggs (but it's only so I can lick all the spoons-LOL)

It's better than COOKAYS.

That will get old, oh about...never. Or perhaps when we're in SF. So expect to hear that joke until JULY. Lucky you.

God, there's never been anything prettier on this earth than that girl of years - she is so lovely. And I ate cookie dough my whole childhood, and would happily feed it to the Kraken if she would eat anything sweet other than Pez.

My brothers and I ate raw cookie dough all through childhood (as in, when all was said and done, my mom would be short almost a dozen cookies because that was how much dough we ate!) and still do it to this day. Anyway, I'm glad you let her and her brothers have a taste!

On a side note, I'm sort of following in your footsteps here. I got my own unexepcted joy when I gave birth to my surprise! daughter in November. Her big brothers already are looking out for her, it makes my heart smile :-)

First of all: She. Is. Beautiful. And not just beautiful but brimming with personality. Second: you can't eat raw eggs?

I've been careful about raw eggs all my life because a dear friend and mentor nearly died from salmonella. I like to bake with egg substitute; read the packages carefully. Some are safer to eat raw than regular eggs.

My kid eats half of the dough or batter when I make cake or cookies. We live in Italy and the Italians' favorite thing to give little kids is raw egg yolk mixed with granulated sugar. They spoon feed it to babies. You know, to help them grow.

So I figure what harm can a little dough do?

Beautiful photo!!

your paranoid boys are so cute. i'll have mine call yours in a couple of years for support, 'kay?

lol it's ethan in a wig!!!!!!!!!

Get yourself some Egg Beaters (or whatever that pasteurized egg product is) make some cookie dough...and let those kids eat ALL of it! :)