All those years of being told not to eat your raw cookie dough are over!

At the newly opened Raw, located at 432 E. Main Ave. on Fountain Square, customers can find a unique experience eating uncooked—but safe—cookie dough out of a cup.

Owned and operated by WKU students, the shop offers eight flavors, like peanut butter, Oreo and chocolate chunk, which you can choose to pair with chocolate or vanilla ice cream.

Reasonably, some people have voiced concern over the idea of eating raw cookie dough, as it has become common knowledge that the raw eggs and flour may carry bacteria like e. coli and salmonella. However, as Raw owner Bailey Dahlquist and collaborator Chloe Hohlbein told the Herald earlier this month, they consulted the Barren River Health Department on multiple occasions to make sure that their eggless recipe is safe for consumption.

The critical question, then, is whether they had to sacrifice taste for their raw-friendly recipes. After trying both the chocolate chip and cake batter flavors, I feel confident in saying that if they did, it was minimal. Both flavors tasted just like actual dough, although I would say the cake batter tasted almost spot-on like a sugar cookie instead of its namesake.

If anything, I felt as though the removal of raw eggs from the mixture affected the texture the most. The cake batter had a thin, slightly gritty texture of actual sugar cookie dough, bringing up all the classic memories of making Christmas cookies with the family. The chocolate chip, on the other hand, largely evoked my childhood dream of eating Play-Doh that tastes delicious and doesn’t make you sick.

In terms of price, though, there is nothing to complain about at Raw. A small cup, which comes loaded with about one cup of dough, costs just $3, while a slightly larger cup costs $5. It may not seem like a lot for the price, but when you consider how many cookies you can make with one cup of dough, probably a half dozen at least, it’s actually quite the bargain.

This is also a great size for treating a family or group of friends, letting everyone choose their favorite flavor without having to buy a ridiculous amount of food or breaking the bank.

However, the doughy goodness isn’t just for friends and families.

For those with romance still on their minds after Valentine’s Day, a visit to Raw would make for an excellent date night. Spring is on its way, which means the shop’s location on the Square is perfect for grabbing a little treat with your sweetheart while listening to the sounds of the downtown nightlife.

As delightful and innovative as one would imagine it to be, Raw serves up a unique and delicious experience that everyone needs to try at least once in their life, no oven required!