GROUP 4 WRITTEN REPORT

Cookies Are...
 Come in many different shapes sizes, flavors, and textures.
 Easy to prepare, Bake quickly, and Store well
 Various Ingredients and Methods influence the characteristics.

Where Cookies Came From . . .

The name cookie is derived from the Dutch word koekje, meaning “small or
little cake.” Biscuit comes from the Latin word bis coctum, which means, “twice
baked.” 

In America, a cookie is described as a thin, sweet, small cake.

By definition, a cookie can be any of a variety of hand-held, flour-based
sweet cakes, either crisp or soft.
A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat
and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or
butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips,
nuts, etc.

The Middle ages and Renaissance

Cookies are known to have been eaten in ancient Persia as well as during
the Middle Ages.
During the Industrial Revolution, an improvement in technology allowed
bakers to make a wider range of cookies.

Basic Ingredients
But even though there were more varieties, the essential ingredients didn't
change.
These include soft flour, sugar, and fats.
All these contribute to the flavor, appearance, and texture.

Flavor
 Determined by the quality of the ingredients
 High quality ingredients + Fresh ingredients = Good Cookies
 Proportion is key.
 Follow the recipes carefully and measure accurately

Texture
 Ingredients are also key here.
 Crispy cookies = High sugar content
 Tender/Soft cookies = higher fat content
 Chewy cookies = High sugar, moisture, and eggs
 Mixing and baking have a big influence.
 baking too long or at too high of a temperature dries out the cookie and
turns it hard.

Appearance
 Shaping raw dough will affect the appearance
 You want your cookies to be uniform!!!!
 Baking time and temperature is and important factor in cookie color.
 Decorating is of course a big influence on appearance.

Characteristic of Cookies
Cookies come in an infinite variety of shapes, sizes, flavors, and textures.
Characteristics that are desirable in some are not desirable in others. For
example, we want some cookies to be crisp and others to be soft. We want some
to hold their shape and others to spread during baking. In order to produce the
characteristics we want and to correct faults, it is useful to know what causes
these characteristics.

Softness is the opposite of crispness, so it has the opposite causes, as follows:

 High proportion of liquid in mixture
 Low sugar and fat content
 Honey, molasses or corn syrup in the formula. These sugars are
hygroscopic, which means they readily absorb moisture from the air or
from their surroundings.
 Under baking
 Large size or thick shape. The cookies retain moisture.

Chewiness
Moisture is necessary for chewiness, but other factors are also required. In
other words, all chewy cookies are soft, but not all soft cookies are chewy.
 High liquid and sugar content (Low fat content)
 High proportion of eggs
 Strong flour or gluten development during mixing
Spread is desirable in some cookies, while others must hold their shape. Several
factors contribute to spread or lack of spread.
How to increase spread:
 High sugar content increases spread. Coarse granulated sugar increases
spread, whereas fine sugar or confectioners' sugar reduces spread.
 High baking soda or powder content encourages spread. So does long
creaming, which incorporates air.
 Low oven temperature  increases spread
 A slack batter (one with high liquid content) that is, one with a high liquid
content—spreads more than a stiff dough.
 If cookies are baked on heavily greased pan/ Cookies spread more if baked
on a heavily greased pan.

How to decrease spread:

 Strong flour or activation of gluten decreases spread.
Crispiness
Cookies are crisp if they are very low in moisture.The following factors
contribute to crispness:
 Low proportion of liquid in mixture. Most crisp cookies are made from a
stiff dough.
 High sugar and fat content
 Baked long enough to evaporate the moisture.  Evaporation of moisture
during baking due to high temperatures and/or long baking.
 Small size or thin shape, so the cookies dry quickly during baking.
 Proper storage. Crisp cookies can become soft if they absorb moisture.
Mixing methods

Bar method

The most versatile of all, bar cookie recipes are made essentially by mixing
the ingredients in one bowl, baking the batter in one pan, and then cooling and
then serving right from the pan.
 Shape the pieces of dough into cylinders at required length and flatten to
about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with egg wash if required.

Sponge Method
 A technique to mix cookie dough that calls for whipping the egg and sugar
to foam first before combining it with the rest of the ingredients.
 A batter of dough and yeast, flour, and water that is allowed to ferment
and is then mixed with more flour and other ingredients to make a bread
dough

Creaming Method

The creaming method for cookies is a way to mix our butter (or fat) and
sugars together to help leaven (make rise) our cookies in the oven. It helps to
properly cream (aka) mix our fats and sugar together. Creaming can also help
increase the volume of our cookie dough (aka the yield of our cookies).
 Procedure used when you mix fat, sugar, salt and milk powder to a smooth
paste before adding eggs gradually and liquid ingredients.
The 8 Different Types of Cookies

1. Dropped Cookies
Dropped Cookies are made from a free-form piece of dough, generally about 1
tablespoon's worth, that is dropped from a spoon or two or a small scoop onto a
prepared cookie sheet.
 Made from soft dough
 Scoop with appropriate ice cream scoop

2. Rolled Cookies
Rolled cookies are cookies made from a rolled-out cookie dough. The opposite
is “drop cookies.” The cookie dough is prepared, then rolled out, usually on a
floured surface. Cookies are then cut out of the dough in the desired shapes,
placed on a cookie sheet, and baked
 Chill dough
 Roll dough on floured surface
 Cut out as desired
 Put on sheet pan
 Bake
 Decorate with desired topping

3. Molded Cookies
Molded cookie recipes are made from a stiff dough that is formed by hand into
little balls, crescents, canes, and other shapes before being placed on the baking
sheet. Peanut butter cookies are popular examples or molded cookies, as are
biscotti.
 Divided dough into equal portions
 Molded into desired shape
 4. Icebox Cookies
A type of cookie in which the dough is prepared, rolled into a log shape, and
refrigerated until the dough is firm. The dough can then be removed from the
refrigerator and sliced into individual pieces, which are then baked. The remaining
dough is returned to the refrigerator until it is needed. Icebox cookies are also
known as refrigerator cookies.
 method is used for storing fresh cookie dough.
 Fresh baked cookie on hand at all times.
 Dough can be stored in advance.
 Easy cut and baked.
 method can be use to make multicolored cookies

5. Bar Cookies
 Bar cookie is a sweetened baked good that is made from a dough, is typically
denser than cake, and is cut into a rectangular or square shape.
 Bar cookies are made with the bar method
 this method is baked with a long, narrow strips, and after cut crosswise into
bar shape.
 can be easy be confused with the sheet cookies
 sometimes required, a brush of egg wash
 the biscotti is the only exception to the method, since it needs to be strip
and cut into thinner slices, placed on sheet pans, and baked for a second
time for a dry and crisp texture.
 6. Bagged Cookies
Bagged or pressed cookies are made from soft doughs. The dough must be soft
enough to be forced through a pastry bag but stiff enough to hold its shape. For
stiffer doughs, you may want to double-bag the dough (for example, put a
disposable bag inside a cloth bag) for extra strength.
 Soft enough to be forced into a pastry bag.
 Stiff enough to hold shape
 Made from soft dough
 Stiffer dough equals double bag for extra strength

7. Stencil Cookies
Stencils for cookie decorating are usually made from a thin plastic material
(mylar). These plastic sheet stencils can be used to airbrush and they can also be
used with royal icing. And they can be washed and reused many times.
 Special technique used from soft dough or batter.
 Used for ribbon sponge cake
 Place stencil on batter then spread
 8. Sheet Cookies
  Made from a batter, either thick or thin, easily spread evenly in a pan with
sides. After baking and cooling, cut into various shapes. Brownies are an example
of sheet cookies.
 Very dense and rich
 Spread cookie mixture into sheet pans

Inferior quality of Cookies

Baking fails can happen anytime, even when you’re making cookies
based on a simple recipe.

Whether it is the wrong ratio of ingredients, oven temperature, or an

incorrect technique, many factors can make or break your cookies. The
following are some of the most common cookie problems and how to fix
them!

1: Cookies are too flat

Possible reasons:
 Wrong butter temperature
- Butter that is too soft or melted will make it hard for your cookies to hold their
shape. On the other hand, incorporating cold butter into a mixture of dry
ingredients is troublesome and difficult. 

Here's a hack: Cut your butter into cubes before letting them soften at room
temperature. The increased surface area will help you soften butter more
quickly. 

2: Cookies clump together

Possible reasons:
 Not enough space between cookies
- Give some space between your cookie dough when you’re arranging them
on the baking sheet. 

Cookies will expand when they’re baked, although the extent varies between
different types of cookies. 

For cookies with a sturdier structure like shortbreads, 2cm should be enough

to prevent them from sticking to each other. Give soft, chewy cookies at least
5cm of free space between them since they will spread more. 

3: The cookies are burnt

Possible reasons:
 Overbaking
- This is the most obvious cause of burnt baked goods. 

Set a timer whenever you bake, since it's easy to get carried away doing
something else while your cookies are gradually getting over-baked in the
oven.

Another trick is to take your cookies out of the oven a minute or two before
they’re completely done—the residual heat from the baking sheet will continue
to bake the cookies even after you take them out.

 Wrong oven temperature

- When they’re set to the same temperature, the actual temperature across
different ovens can vary as much as 10°C! 

Therefore, it is very likely for your oven to have a different temperature setting

from what is indicated in the original recipe. 

Ten degrees might not seem like much, but baking cookies at temperatures
higher than necessary will cause them to cook faster than intended. 
Hence, following the suggested cooking time will result in burnt cookies. If
possible, get an oven thermometer that will help you tell the true temperature
of your oven.

4: The bottoms of the cookies are too brown

Possible reasons:
 Wrong choice of baking sheet
- A lighter-colored metal baking sheet with a dull finish is the best type of
pan for baking cookies, if you want an even bake without too much browning
on the bottom. 

Dark-colored metal baking sheets will absorb more heat and cause the bottom
of your cookies to cook faster than the top parts. Our non-stick baking
sheet will help you to avoid this problem!

 Wrong rack placement

- Baking your cookies on the middle rack is often the best option, since the top
and bottom parts of the cookies are exposed to the same amount of heat. 

However, if you face this problem every time you bake cookies, try baking
them in the upper rack.
5: Cookies are unevenly baked

Possible reasons:
 The cookies vary too much in size.
- When you find overbaked and underdone cookies in the same batch, it is
most likely because they weren’t shaped evenly prior to baking.

For slice-and-bake cookies like the ones in our shortbread collection, try

slicing them as evenly as possible. A small ice cream scoop or a measuring
spoon will help in making your cookies evenly sized.

 Not rotating the baking sheet

- Rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking is recommended.

Different zones of your oven have varying temperatures, so rotating will

ensure that all your cookies are baked to the same extent.

To find out your oven hot spots and know which parts of your oven will cook
food more quickly, we recommend using an oven thermometer if you have
one.

6: Cookies are stuck to the baking sheet

Possible reasons:
 Not enough greasing/Not using parchment paper
- Sufficiently greasing your baking sheet will prevent the cookies from sticking.
However, keep in mind that excessive greasing will also make the cookies
spread too much.

A safer option is to use a piece of parchment paper, which creates a non-stick

barrier between your cookies and the surface. 

This will allow your cookies to slide off easily after they’re baked and cooled
down.

 Removing cookies before they’re completely cooled

- The smell of freshly baked cookies might tempt you to dig in right away, but
refrain from removing just-out-of-the-oven cookies from the pan as they’ll fall
apart very easily. 

Warm cookies are fragile, and some parts often stick to the baking sheet
when they’re not completely cooled. 
Instead, let fresh cookies cool down and set slightly, before removing them
carefully from your baking sheet onto a cooling rack. The cooling rack also
helps keep your cookies from getting soggy.

Using an offset spatula to transfer your cookies will also help to prevent
breakage. 

7: Cookies are too puffy and cakey

Possible reasons:
 Creaming for too long
- Butter and sugar are often creamed at the beginning of making cookies
to give cookies a lighter texture.

But remember that creaming is also what makes cakes fluffy, and that is not
something we want in our cookies.

Over-creaming the butter-sugar mixture will incorporate too much air into your
cookie dough, making your cookies puffy and cakey.

So, stop creaming when the mixture lightens and do not continue beating until
the mixture volumises (reserve that for cakes!). 
  Too much baking powder
- Baking powder helps your cookies to rise and prevents them from being too
dense, but add a little bit too much and they’ll puff up a lot more than
expected. 

It’s very important to measure your chemical leavening agents accurately,

since they can affect your baked goods dramatically if you add just a little bit
too much/little to your batter.

8: Cookies are tough and hard

Possible reasons:
 Not enough moisture and fat
- If you expect your cookies to be on the softer side, be sure to incorporate
enough ingredients that provide moisture, such as brown sugar and fat
(butter, shortening, or margarine). 

If your recipe only uses white sugar and you want your cookies to softer and
chewier, substitute up to half of the total sugar weight with light brown sugar. 

You can also experiment by adding more fat; try using a little bit more than
what the original recipe calls for.
  Overmixing
- Mixing the dry and wet ingredients in cookies induces gluten formation, so it
should never be overdone. Gluten gives your cookies structure, but too much
will make them tough. 

Cookies are one of the baked goods where you don’t want too much gluten to
form! 

Add mix-ins like chocolate chips or nuts before the batter is completely mixed
(some streaks of flour are still visible), so they’ll be evenly distributed just
when you finish mixing.

 Wrong type of flour

- Cookies are generally made with cake flour or all purpose flour as these
flours have a lower protein content.

Lower protein content flours will not form too much gluten when it is mixed
together with the wet ingredients. 

In general, unless the recipe asks for it, refrain from substituting all
purpose/cake flour with bread flour since bread flour has the highest protein
content, which can make your cookies too tough.

9: Cookies are too dry

Possible reasons:
 Using only white sugar
- Most cookie recipes use a combination of brown and white sugar for a
reason. 

Substituting brown sugar with white sugar in any recipe can cause cookies to

be too dry, since the molasses contained in brown sugar provides moisture. 

If you don't have brown sugar, here's how to make it: Mix 1 tablespoon of
molasses or honey to every 225 grams of white sugar to replace brown sugar
in any recipe.

 Too much flour

- Over-measuring flour is a common problem causing baked goods to have an
overly dry texture.

If you’re using measuring cups to measure flour, spoon flour into the cup and
level the top instead of packing it in. Otherwise, use a kitchen scale to ensure
accurate measurements every time.

 Overbaking
- In some circumstances, baking for too long might not burn your cookies, but
they’ll cause too much moisture evaporation, drying out your cookies.

Cookies are soft when they’re still hot in the oven, and it might mislead you to
think that they’re not done yet. 

However, they’ll firm up when they’re cooled down, so stop baking once you
have reached the suggested baking time, or if your cookies fit the visual cues
provided in the recipe. 
You can always put your cookies back in the oven if they’re still undone, but
there’s no way to salvage dry cookies!

10: Cookies have an alkaline taste

Possible reason:
 Too much baking soda
- Baking soda is only added in small quantities, and using more than required
will only give a weird alkaline taste to your cookies. 

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a highly alkaline chemical substance

that needs acid to react with and leaven your cookies. 

When there are not enough acidic ingredients (e. g., buttermilk or lemon juice)
in your cookie dough, there will be some unreacted baking soda left, giving
your cookies an undesirable taste. 

And if a recipe calls for baking powder, never simply do a 1 to 1 substitution

with baking soda as they act in completely different ways! 

REFERENCES:
https://prezi.com/alrqttse8hhm/cookies/?
frame=5168de9bbde376f0d4b3b69183b6b33d4c478a98
https://prezi.com/6g4s62kozxk9/characteristic-of-cookies/?
frame=34353651510fb8f7fba2857ef27d6c7764afa4fe&fbclid=IwAR1k8QR6tCo2IG
Oaq2GLnOpdQtezJLfuuXnASbxbuYxdq0nyoYoGrAcgfQw
https://bakestarters.com/blogs/tbbt/cookie-failure-reasons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie
https://bakerpedia.com/processes/cookies/#:~:text=Cookies%20are%20baked
%20treats.,They%20are%20characterized%20by%3A&text=High%20fat
%20content,Low%20moisture
https://www.johnnyskitchen.us/professional-cooking/cookie-characteristics-and-
their-causes.html