Characteristics of cookies

CHARACTERISTICS OF COOKIES

CRISP

• A crisp cookie is generally produced from a dough with little moisture or liquid in it.

• It also contains a large amount of granulated sugar and fat.

SOFT

• Soft cookies and cakes have a similar texture.

• Using hygroscopic sugars such as brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, and honey that easily absorb moisture from the air, produces a softer cookie.

• Softer cookies are created when a low-protein flour is used because low-protein flours do not bind with or absorb as much water as a high-protein flour.

CHEWY

• Cookies made with high-protein flour are chewy because of the gluten development.

BROWN

• The easiest way to increase the browning of a cookie is to increase the oven temperature or the baking time.

• Browning occurs when a higher proportion of baking soda is used.

• Flours that are high in protein also produce cookies that brown better than flours lower in protein.

PALE

• Underbaking is one way to prevent a cookie from browning.

• The lower the protein content of a flour used in a cookie dough, the less browning occurs.

• Flours that are bleached and acidic, such as cake flour, also produce paler cookies.

SPREAD

• Varying ingredients of a cookie dough can also affect how much the dough will spread in the oven

INCREASED SPREAD

• A thinner cookie dough with a great deal of liquid in it produces a cookie with more spread.

• A high amount of granulated sugar also increases spread.

• Flours with low-protein produce more spread.

• Placing the dough on a greased cookie sheet also increases spread.

DECREASED SPREAD

• Using flours with high-protein contents decreases spread by binding with more liquid within the dough, creating more structure.

• Baking at higher temperature reduces spread because the cookie dough sets faster.

• Placing the cookie dough on a degreased sheet pan reduces spread.