I can’t cook to save my life, but I sure do like baking- cookies especially. I usually use the same recipe whenever I make my chocolate chip but sometimes I have to wonder, why do they look a little different every time I make them? Turns out there are actually several reasons why!
A recipe calls for exact amounts of ingredients, but making a mistake and adding a little more or a little less can make a big difference on how your cookies turn out.
According to this article, there are a few reasons why cookies can turn out the way that they do:
Thin cookies:
+Margarine and butter (along with granulated sugar) melt at lower temperatures, so they will become more flat as the keep baking.
Fluffy cookies:
+The fatness of these cookies are based on the flour content, when they use up less water and thus making the dough rise higher.
+Using more eggs will also cause them to rise higher than spread out.
Chewy cookies:
+Oils and fats contribute to a soft texture, adding to moisture and density.+Brown sugar and corn syrup add to density.
+The use of more eggs adds chewiness.
I find it very interesting that it’s not my oven, how long I’m putting the cookies in for, but the chemistry behind the ingredients and how they all mix together is what determines the outcome of the final product!
In this report, the author explores how the temperature of butter affects cookies. Her outcome was similar to the cookies seen above- just right, a little doughier, and completely flat and doughy.
The next time I make my own cookies, or steal one from West, I’ll have to think about what made them look the way they do, but in the end, all chocolate chip cookies are delicious, so it’s up to you on how you like them!