Cottage Food Q& A

A:  Raw flour is not a ready-to eat food. Recent recalls of flour contaminated with Salmonella or E.coli is a good reminder that uncooked items with flour can cause illness. Flour is a raw agricultural product and may contain disease-causing pathogens. Use commercial heat treated or treated flour for cottage food products that will be eaten without a cook step. Some examples include cookie dough frosting, cake, cookie, muffin or pancake mixes containing flour, baking mixes, thickeners with flour, etc. There is not proven or validated technique to heat treat flour at home. The DIY recipes you find on the Internet or in magazines are not proven or validated techniques.

A: Most cookie dough frosting recipes (without eggs) would meet the water activity requirements for the cottage food law (≤ 0.85). Two batches of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting  were tested in a cottage foods class, (one with half-n-half and one with water). Both tested as non-potentially hazardous. Recipe w/ half-half = 0.80 water activity  Recipe w/ water = 0.81 water activity  These unofficial test results. However, it appears cookie dough frosting (without eggs) and enough sugar is allowable cottage food product. Remember, allowable foods must meet the non-potentially hazardous standards: Water activity ≤ 0.85 OR pH ≤ 4.6. Ingredients in the recipe tested for water activity: butter, 6 oz.  powdered sugar, 2 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup milk, cream half-n-half or water, 3 TBSP vanilla extract, 1 tsp mini chocolate chips, 3/4 cup flour, ½ cup ( Very important:  Raw flour is not a ready-to eat food. Because this frosting will be eaten without a cook step, use commercial heat tre