“Cookie dough!” came the next announcement.

“Who’s the cookie dough?” asked Biden, who had ordered frozen treats for his staff. He offered the same to the small group of reporters — “It’s not like I’m bribing ya” — but, sticking to their ethical standards even in the face of such temptations, the journalists declined, pressing him instead on Social Security, gun control and whether his campaign had indeed tried to forge any alliances with rival candidates.

As the blenders whirred, Biden professed no knowledge of such agreements, but said: “Every campaign I’ve been involved in, in the caucus, everybody’s looking as, O.K., if your guy doesn’t win or your person doesn’t win, who you going to go with?”

Then he turned back to the ice cream.

On the road with Elizabeth Warren

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URBANDALE, Iowa — Far from the rallies and debate stages, the final days before the caucuses have come down to this: a small army of volunteers trudging through snow with clipboards and messenger bags to knock on doors that have been knocked so many times there may as well be fist imprints in the wood.

I tagged along this week with Zeb Beilke-McCallum, 37, a Warren organizer, as he canvassed outside Des Moines. Iowans are famous for choosing their candidates late, so I figured we’d meet a lot of undecided caucusgoers. But most had made up their minds.