Our baking group wants to taste the egg-free cookie dough. How do I stop that without spoiling the session?
Food"There's no egg, so we can try it," a friend said, reaching for a spoon. Six of us were making cookies in my kitchen. I'd chosen an egg-free recipe because one person avoids eggs, but the dough contained ordinary flour.
I moved the bowl back and said we'd taste the cookies after baking. The room went quiet. Then somebody joked that I'd turned our relaxed baking afternoon into an inspection.
I checked the [CDC's raw-dough guidance](https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/no-raw-dough.html): uncooked flour can carry harmful germs too, and raw dough should not be tasted just because it has no egg. Products intended to be eaten as cookie dough are a different matter, with labels to check. I'm keeping this batch for baking.
I know I could have explained before everyone gathered around the bowl. How would you reset the mood now? I want to be clear about the dough without spending the rest of the afternoon making each person admit they were wrong.
