Holiday Baking While Pregnant: Raw Dough, Royal Icing, Eggnog and Rum Cakes

December baking is half the fun of the holidays: gingerbread, sugar cookies, a pan of fudge, the cake someone's grandmother has made every year since 1974. Pregnancy doesn't mean sitting it out. It mostly means not licking the spoon, and knowing which three or four traditions have a raw egg or a splash of liquor hiding in them.

Here are the questions that come up most on a baking day, roughly in the order you'll run into them.

While You're Mixing

Can I taste the cookie dough or cake batter?

No, and it isn't only about the eggs. The FDA and CDC warn against eating any raw dough or batter, because raw flour can carry E. coli as well as raw eggs carrying Salmonella. Most people never think of flour as raw, but nothing in the milling process kills germs, and contaminated flour has caused several outbreaks.

If tasting is half the joy for you, look for a store-bought edible dough (it uses heat-treated flour and skips the eggs), or make a small bowl of your own with flour you've heated to 165°F. Our raw cookie dough guide explains how.

What about licking the beaters on frosting?

Frosting is a different story. Buttercream (butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla) and cream cheese frosting made with pasteurized cream cheese have no raw egg or raw flour in them, so go ahead. The exceptions are frostings that use raw egg whites, covered below.

Is vanilla extract okay, since it contains alcohol?

Pure vanilla extract is at least 35% alcohol, but a recipe uses a teaspoon or two spread across a whole batch, and most of it is baked into the food. The amount in a slice of cake or a cookie is a tiny fraction of a teaspoon. If you'd rather avoid it completely, alcohol-free vanilla flavoring and vanilla bean paste are easy swaps.

Icing and Decorating

Is royal icing safe?

Classic royal icing, the hard white icing on gingerbread houses and decorated sugar cookies, is traditionally made with raw egg whites. Make it with meringue powder or pasteurized egg whites instead. The FDA's advice is to use pasteurized eggs in any recipe that calls for raw or lightly cooked eggs. Most store-bought royal icing mixes already use meringue powder, and they taste the same.

Can I eat meringue?

Baked meringues, pavlova and the browned meringue on a lemon meringue pie are cooked, so they're fine. Swiss meringue buttercream is also fine, because the egg whites are heated with sugar over a pan of water before they're whipped. Bring that mixture to 160°F if you have a thermometer. The one to watch is any "no-bake" recipe that folds raw whipped egg whites into a mousse or a cold dessert.

What about the gingerbread house itself?

The gingerbread is baked and the candy is shelf-stable, so the only question is the icing glue, covered above. A gingerbread house that has been sitting out for decoration for a week is better admired than eaten, but that's true for everyone.

Boozy Bakes

According to the CDC, no amount of alcohol has been shown to be safe in pregnancy. That's worth knowing for holiday baking, because a lot less alcohol "cooks off" than most people think. USDA figures on alcohol retention in cooking show that food baked for 25 minutes with alcohol mixed in can keep around 45% of it, and even after an hour of baking about a quarter remains.

When someone else has made a dessert and you're not sure, it's completely fine to ask. Most people are glad you did.

Eggnog, Custards and Other Holiday Classics

Can I have eggnog?

Store-bought eggnog from the dairy case is pasteurized, so a non-alcoholic carton is fine. Homemade eggnog is the problem, because traditional recipes use raw eggs, and many add rum or bourbon. If you're making it, cook the egg and milk base to 160°F (it thickens and coats the back of a spoon), chill it, and leave the liquor out. For the main meal itself, see our Christmas food guide.

Custards, puddings and homemade ice cream?

Baked custards, crème brûlée and stovetop puddings are cooked, so they're fine. Homemade ice cream is the one to check, because some recipes use an uncooked egg base. Use a cooked custard base heated to 160°F, or an egg-free recipe.

Is nutmeg safe? I've heard it's not.

Nutmeg is only a concern in very large amounts, far beyond anything in a recipe. The pinch in gingerbread, eggnog or pumpkin pie is fine. Our pumpkin spice guide goes into the nutmeg myth.

Cheesecake?

Baked cheesecake is fine, as our cheesecake guide explains. No-bake cheesecakes are usually fine too when they're made with pasteurized cream cheese and no raw eggs, so it's worth checking the recipe.

A Few Practical Notes

• Wash up as you go. Raw flour and raw egg get everywhere. Wash hands, bowls, counters and utensils after they touch either one, especially before you move on to frosting or decorating.
• Watch the cooling time. Anything made with dairy or eggs, like cream pies, custards and cheesecakes, should go in the fridge within 2 hours.
• Sugar adds up. Holiday baking means a lot of tasting and a lot of cookie tins. If you have gestational diabetes, having a sweet treat with a meal rather than on its own is gentler on your blood sugar.
• Sit down. Baking is a lot of standing. A stool at the counter for rolling and decorating makes a big difference by the third trimester.

If you've already tasted some raw dough, don't panic. Most exposures don't cause illness. Contact your provider if you develop fever, vomiting, diarrhea or stomach cramps in the days afterward.