How to Build Your Perfect Cookie
Adapted from http://www.thekitchn.com/
For the sake of developing and altering your own cookie recipes, let’s talk a bit more about texture and how to adapt a base recipe to your own liking.
Some cookies are crisp, while other are soft and cake-like. Eggs, sugar, butter, and flour, as well as the shape of the cookie, help determine the final texture. Here’s a study in how to get the kind of cookie you want to eat.
Chewy Cookies
Usually chewy cookies have a higher moisture content. How do you make this happen? Here are a few ways:
- More eggs.Depending on the cookie, this moisture may come in the form of eggs.
- More brown sugar.Using a high ratio of brown sugar will attract and absorb moisture for chewier cookies.
- High-gluten flour.For a chewy cookie, it is best to use a high-gluten flour (all-purpose, bread flour, or a combination of the two) to help develop structure.
- Mix by hand, not with a mixer.For denser or chewier cookies, mix the batter by hand instead of creaming the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer or use melted butter.
Crisp Cookies
The cookies must be high in both fat and sugar. As opposed to chewy cookies, the moisture content should be low.
- Keep cookies small.Thinner, smaller cookies tend to bake up more crisp. Think back to when we discussed how sugar helps cookies spread: The more sugar, the more they spread, and the more crisp they will be.
- Use more granulated sugar than brown sugar.For intentionally thinner cookies, try substituting some of the brown sugar for granulated sugar.
- Use baking soda.Be sure to use baking soda.
- Don’t overbake!Do not let the cookies overbake. When done, the edges should be set, while the center is a bit gooey.
Cake-Like and Soft Cookies
For a softer texture, a cookie needs high moisture with low fat and sugar.
- Make cookies larger and thicker.They are usually larger and thicker to help retain and absorb the increased moisture.
- Chill the dough (and use shortening).Try chilling the cookie dough or adding shortening so they better retain their shape longer during baking.
Reduce the baking powder. For less-puffy cookies, decrease or replace the baking powder and/or mix by hand
How to Build Your Perfect Cookie Read More »
Little Cookhouse has been experiementing with cookies lately, starting from our “If you give a Mouse a Cookie” lesson, to our upcoming lesson on Sugar cookies.
