Twenty-seven-year-old Kristen Tomlan is tapping into the ultimate nostalgic experience: eating cookie dough straight from the bowl. Together with her husband, the St. Louis-to-New York transplants founded Cookie Dō, a company dedicated to producing raw goods that you can eat safely.
How does she do it? Tomlan uses a pasteurized egg substitute, which eliminates the risk of salmonella, the food-borne illness that's the chief reason — other than tummy aches — we're told not to eat dough until after we've baked it.
"Up until now, eating raw cookie dough has kind of been forbidden," she told Refinery29. "Now, people have the ability to have that freedom — to eat it however they want. We take a really classic nostalgic dessert and put a fun twist on it, and that makes people really love coming back."
The dough, which is made in a commercial kitchen in Midtown East, is available in original, gluten-free, and vegan varieties, and the flavors are totally bananas (there is a Breakfast Banana option) — think Oatmeal M&M, PB & J, Confetti, and even Peanut Butter Chickpea. Naturally, though, Dō's signature is Chocolate Chip.
Tomlan is off to a sweet start, but it doesn't stop her from acknowledging that taking on a dream project like hers can be daunting, particularly in NYC. Her advice is to remain optimistic, if not a bit fearless.
"You just have to jump in with both feet and go for it," she said. "I had this idea and at first, we weren't really making real strides. People kept asking what was going on and then I decided 'You know what, I really want to do this.' You just have to be ready for anything that comes your way, and figure it out as you go along. Go with your gut."
When it comes to Tomlan's cookie dough, we certainly will.
When it comes to Tomlan's cookie dough, we certainly will.