Cookie dough

Not if it is ordinary dough: uncooked flour can contain harmful bacteria, and raw eggs can carry food-poisoning bacteria. The Food Standards Agency advises against eating raw dough; choose dough made specifically to eat raw, with heat-treated flour and no raw egg.

Put spoonfuls of dough on a lined baking tray with space between them. Bake at 180°C, or 160°C fan, for about 10–12 minutes, until the edges are golden; the centres will firm up as the cookies cool.

Keep it covered in the fridge and use within two days. Chilling also makes the dough firmer, so it is easier to portion before baking.

Yes. Roll it into individual balls, freeze them on a tray, then transfer them to a sealed freezer bag. Bake from frozen at the usual temperature, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.

Use flour that has been heat-treated and leave out the egg. A little milk can bind the mixture instead; raw cookie dough should be made and stored as directed by its recipe.

Fold small pieces of edible cookie dough through vanilla ice cream, or use it as a filling for cookie-dough desserts. For anything served without baking, use dough made with heat-treated flour and no raw egg.