Kid in green jacket making gingerbread cookies from dough
Reinholds Nulle/iStock/GettyImages

Cookie dough produces a delicious result: warm and chewy cookies fresh out of the oven! Some people even like to indulge in the pre-baked product, despite some warnings that raw cookie dough could contain salmonella from contaminated eggs. Although it is scrumptious, the combination of softened butter and eggs creates a sticky substance to work with that can drive bakers to tears. Cookie dough latches on to everything it touches; especially hands. Determined as it may be, there are several methods to keep that pesky dough from sticking.

Moisten your hands with cold water. This is an easy, effective method. Keeping your hands moist with cold water throughout the process of rolling your cookie dough helps keep the cookie dough from sticking. The warmer and dryer your hands get, the more dough will stick to them.

Spray a bit of nonstick cooking spray to your hands. While you may still get a little cookie dough stuck here and there, it will be easier to remove. The downside to this method is that you will have to get the oil from the cooking spray off of your hands, which can sometimes take an extra wash or two.

Dust your hands with flour. This method works to keep the bulk of the cookie dough from sticking. You may get a few small pieces that stick, but you should be able to get them off easily because of the flour. The flour may cake onto your hands a bit as it absorbs moisture from the cookie dough, so dip into the flour for an extra dusting every so often.

Wear disposable gloves. Disposable vinyl or latex gloves (or latex-free) can be purchased from your local grocery store or food supply retailer. While it does require a very small investment, this method results in the quickest cleanup for your hands.