From a food engineering point of view, a viable approach in evaluating the risk related to acrylamide formation in heated foods is still lacking. In this study, thermal process calculation procedure used to evaluate safe levels of microbial inactivation by means of time-temperature history of the product during processing was adapted to evaluate the risk associated with acrylamide formation in cookies during baking. The rate constants were determined in model cookies during baking at different temperatures. For a risk threshold value of 200 ppb of acrylamide, thermal formation times were calculated as 6.29, 0.20 and 0.03 min for 150,200 and 250 degrees C, respectively. The F and z values were determined as 0.20 min and 30 degrees C, respectively, for acrylamide formation in cookies during baking. Calculated total risk values compared well with experimentally measured aaylamide concentrations of cookies baked under different conditions confirming the success of risk evaluation procedure. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.