characteristics of cookies
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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.