BISCUITS

INTRODUCTION

It is a small baked good with a firm browned crust and a soft interior. They are
made with baking powder or baking soda as a chemical leavening agent rather than
yeast. They are similar to British scones or the bannock from the Shetland Isles.

Biscuits, soda breads, and cornbread , among others, are often referred to
collectively as " quick breads ," to indicate that they do not need time to rise before
baking.

Ingredients used in making biscuits

i. Flour for biscuits

It is made from low protein content, low starch damage, where a high
hagberg number is moderately low. The dough used is of high flexibility.
Soft wheat is usually used and sulphur dioxide is mainly used as a flour
treatment.
ii. Fats
Example: butter, margarine, shortening and oils are used to;
a. Shorten and tenderize the product
b. Trap air during creaming and hence aeration to give good volume and
texture
c. Help prevent curdling by forming emulsion
d. Adds flavour
iii. Sugars e.g. sucrose
a. Imparts sweetness
b. Contributes to the eating texture
c. Increases crispness
 d. Has a browning effect
e. Increased sugar levels lead to softening of gluten and hence reduction
in water quality
f. Reduces staling
g. Keeps products softer
iv. Milk and dairy products
a. Imparts flavour-subtle and textural improvement
b. Aids in colouring
v. Emulsifiers e.g. lecithin
Stabilizes mixtures of two immiscible liquids eg water and oil
vi. Salt
Used for flavour and flavour enhancing properties
vii. Baking Powder
Uses for chemical aeration agent and a leavening agent
viii. Water
a. Hydration of raw materials
b. It acts as a solvent
c. Controls dough temperature
d. Controls dough consistency
e. Imparts softness the final product
ix. Enzymes (Mutase and protease)
a. Conditions the dough
b. Prevent shrinkage of the dough

Types of Biscuits

1. Rolled Biscuits
The interior is light, fluffy and tender and the crust is a crisp.

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 2. Drop Biscuits
Have more milk or liquid added to the dough than rolled biscuits
They do not raise much
Are always coarse in appearance and texture.
3. Scones
Made with cream and butter
They are tender, heavy crumb and slightly crust brown top.
4. Shortcakes
Use rich biscuits or scones as the base

Can be split or served whole topped with sweetened fruit and whipped ice cream or
ice cream.

CHARACTERISTICS OF BISCUITS

Structure

Aim is to bake high quality biscuits.

The texture should be open, flaky short depending on the product.

Density/volume: low density gives more volume and a lighter bite.

Mouth feel: should be soft, smooth and crunchy and have the crispy nature.

Flavor: different varieties of biscuits have different flavors.

Moisture content

Some varieties of biscuits are baked with high water content e.g. water biscuits

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Low moisture content enhances the keeping qualities of biscuit. Evenness of the
moisture content from the center to the outside of the biscuit requires penetrative
heat and adequate time for baking and cooling to avoid cracks in biscuit after
packing “checking”.

Color

Color should be consistent with time and across width of the oven band. E.g. Marie
biscuits require a very even bland color. Different baking systems are required to
enhance the appearance of the product.

PROCESSING OF BISCUITS

There are three main changes that occur as all biscuits are baked. They are the
development of the biscuit structure and texture, the reduction in the moisture
content, and the development of the colour. These changes overlap during the
baking process, but it is useful to note that the formation of the structure and
texture of the biscuit will take place in the first half of the oven, the reduction in
moisture mainly in the middle of the oven and the colour in the final third of the
oven.
Flavour – many flavours and fillings are heat susceptible and the protection of the
flavours and texture of the fillings needs consideration for the baking process. For
example, for a variety of soft doughs and cookies, a preference will be given for
radiant heat, a longer baking time at a lower temperature

Ingredients
The structure and texture of the biscuit is determined by the ingredients, mixing
and forming and the baking process. The main ingredients and process
requirements for the baking of biscuits include;

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Wheat flour
The principle ingredient of biscuits is wheat flour. The grain consists of bran
(12%), which is the outer husk, endosperm, which is the white centre (85.5%) and
the tiny germ (2.5%). Typical biscuit flour is milled to a yield or extraction of 70-
75%. Wholemeal flour is of 100% extraction and wheat meal flours in between
these extraction rates, normally around 84% extraction.
The flour will also contain moisture of between 13–15%.
The wheat flour is composed of carbohydrate (as starch), protein and fat, together
with some fibre, ash and trace minerals and vitamins. The protein is mainly gluten,
composed of gliadin and glutenin. The percentage of protein determines the flour
strength. A dough made from strong flour with a high protein content, is extensible
and can be machined into a continuous sheet for crackers and hard biscuits. A weak
flour with a low protein content produces a soft dough which may be moulded or
deposited on the baking band and when baked, gives a short texture.
Wheat gluten
The formation of the gluten, its strength and elasticity are largely determined by
the flour specification, recipe and the mixing and forming processes.
Wheat flour contains proteins including gliadin and glutenin. In the presence of
water these proteins combine to form gluten. As the dough is mixed the protein
molecules form long strands of gluten, which have strength and elasticity. The
gluten forms an elastic web, which gives the dough strength and allows it to be
machined into a thin sheet for crackers and hard sweet biscuits. These biscuits are
made with “strong” flour, which has a high protein content, typically 10-12%. The
gluten web is also important in trapping air and gas bubbles formed by yeast
fermentation or by leavening agents such as sodium bicarbonate (“soda”) or
ammonium carbonate (“vol”). This leavening process, combined with the
laminating of the dough, gives the characteristic open, flaky texture of crackers
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during baking
Soft or short biscuits are generally made with low protein flour (7-9%). A low
protein flour makes a dough with a much weaker gluten web. In addition these
doughs have higher fat contents. The fat coats the flour particles and this inhibits
the hydration of the proteins and the formation of the gluten web. Shorter mixing
times also result in less development of the gluten strands and hence the biscuits
have a short texture.

Starch
Starch is the main component of wheat flour. It represents almost all of the
carbohydrate content and around 80% of the total energy content of wheat flour.
Starch is a polysaccharide (many sugars) made up of glucose units linked together
to form long chains. The principle starch molecules in wheat flour are amylose,
which typically comprises 28% of the total amount of starch. Amylose molecules
contribute to gel formation. Their linear chains of molecules line up together and
are able to bond to make a viscous gel.
Starch is insoluble in water, however the starch granules do absorb a limited
amount of water in the dough and swell. Above temperatures of 60o-70°C the
swelling is irreversible and gelatinisation begins. The gelatinisation may continue
until the starch granules are fully swollen, but it is normal in baked products that
only partial gelatinisation occurs. The gelatinisation of the starch contributes to the
rigidity and texture of the biscuit. As the starch gel is heated further, dextrinisation
occurs. This contributes to the colouring of the biscuit. In soft dough products, the
high sugar and fat content of the dough inhibits starch gelatinisation. The presence
of sugars delays the gelatinisation of the starch, which may be due to the
competition for water. The fat, composed of triglycerides and surfectants, also
tends to inhibit gelatinisation. With high sugar and fat recipes, the dough has a low
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gel viscosity and strength and produces short and soft biscuits and cookies.
Sugar
Common sugar (sucrose) is a carbohydrate derived from sugar cane or sugar beet.
It is a disaccharide composed of two monosaccharides, a molecule of glucose
joined to a molecule of fructose. Sugar gives sweetness, but it is also important in
developing the texture of the biscuit. Dissolved sugar tends to inhibit starch
gelatinisation and gluten formation and creates a biscuit with a more tender texture.
Undissolved sugar crystals give a crunchy, crisp texture. Sugar crystals, which melt
during baking, cool to a non-crystalline glass-like state which gives a crispy,
crunchy texture, particularly on sugar topped biscuits.
Dry sucrose melts at 160°C -186°C. Biscuits with sugar toppings which are melted
to a smooth, shiny surface require high intensity flash heat at the end of the oven to
fully melt the sugar.
Invert sugar syrup is a mixture of glucose and fructose. The sucrose is split into its
component
monosaccharides by hydrolysis. The sucrose in solution is heated with a small
quantity of acid such as citric acid. After inversion, the solution is neutralised by
the addition of soda. The invert
syrup is sweeter than sugar and it contributes to a moist, tender texture in the
biscuit.
Leavening agents
Yeast is normally used in the production of cream crackers. The yeast is most
active at temperatures of 30° – 35°C during dough fermentation. At temperatures
above 40°C, the yeast activity stops and is therefore inactive during the baking
process.
Sodium bicarbonate (“soda”) . Soda is readily soluble and it reacts with acidulants
in the dough in the presence of water, producing carbon dioxide and decomposing
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to salt and water.
The speed of the reaction may be controlled by the type of acidulant used. The
leavening of the dough takes place during mixing and fermentation of the dough.
Ammonium bicarbonate (“vol”) . This leavening agent decomposes completely
when heated, producing carbon dioxide, ammonia and water. The reaction is rapid
at around 60°C and therefore the expansion of the dough takes place during the
initial stages of baking.
Fats
Fats are a vitally important ingredient in achieving the texture, mouth feel, and the
bite of the biscuit. Crackers and hard biscuits have relatively low percentages of
fats in the recipes, while soft cookies have high amounts of fat. Recipes with high
fat contents require little water for producing a cohesive dough and produce soft,
short doughs. During mixing, the fat coats the flour particles and this inhibits
hydration and interrupts the formation of the gluten. Fats also tend to inhibit the
leavening action of the carbon dioxide diffusion in the dough during baking and
this produces a softer, finer texture. Where both fat and sugar amounts in the recipe
are high, they combine to make a soft, syrupy, chewy texture.
Most fats used in biscuit making are melted below blood temperature (36.9°C), and
this avoids a waxy mouth feel. Fats are specified with a Solid Fat Index (SFI),
which indicates the percentage of solid fat present in the total fat. A dough fat
typically has an SFI of around 18 at 25°C and 12 at 30°C.

Baking:
The development of the biscuit structure and texture Changes that are temperature
dependent mainly take place during fermentation and later during baking. These
changes are also highly dependent on the moisture content of the dough and the
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humidity of the baking chamber. As we have seen, the water in the dough plays a
vital role in achieving the biscuit texture and structure. It hydrates the protein
allowing the gluten to form and develop and it hydrates the starch granules which
swell and gelatinise.
The gluten can absorb up to 200% of its weight in water. As the dough temperature
rises, the gluten web swells and becomes strengthened and the structure of gas and
air bubbles in the dough forms, causing an increase in volume of the dough pieces.
The swelling of the proteins increases from 30°C to around 50°C. However,
denaturation of the proteins takes place at temperatures over 50°C, when the long
chains of molecules are broken. As more heat is applied, gluten coagulation occurs
above 70°C. At this temperature, some of the moisture is released from the gluten
and contributes to the starch hydration and gelatinisation. The air bubbles in the
dough are saturated with water and these expand rapidly as the temperature
increases. The increase in volume is 3% at 50°C up to 50% at 95°C. This
expansion creates a significant increase in volume of the dough piece during
baking. The hydrated starch molecules begin to gelatinise at temperatures of 50°C
– 60°C. In biscuits, this process is partial as there is seldom enough water to fully
gelatinise the starch. In short doughs with very little water, the starch gelatinisation
is very limited. When the dough pieces have reached temperatures over 70°C, the
structure is well formed and becomes stable
although starch gelatinisation may continue until the dough reaches a temperature
of 95°C.
In order for the biscuit to reach an optimum volume, it is essential that the surface
of the dough piece is not dried too quickly, making it rigid and preventing the
expansion of the dough piece. The dough piece surface must remain moist and
flexible for as long as possible. As the dough pieces, at ambient temperature, enter
the oven, some moisture will condense on their surfaces. This not only keeps the
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surface of the dough pieces moist, but the condensation releases latent heat,which
assists in raising the temperature of the dough. It is important to maintain a humid
atmosphere in the first zone(s) of the oven and in some cases injecting steam into
the baking chamber is also beneficial.
The physical and chemical changes noted above which form the texture and
structure of the biscuit take place in the first half of the oven. They require not only
temperature, but time as well. In some trials it has been shown that there is a limit
to the speed of the temperature increase, which if exceeded will result in a decline
in quality of the biscuit.

Moisture removal
When the gluten and starch have been sufficiently hydrated and the structure of the
biscuit is formed, the remaining free water must be evaporated. The water is
evaporated from the surface of the dough pieces. This will occur principally at
100°C for pure water, but at higher temperatures (up to 130°C) when the water is
held in solution, for example in a sugar solution. At temperatures over 100°C, the
application of heat will always result in moisture loss from the surface of the
dough pieces, even in an oven atmosphere which is saturated with water vapour.
This loss of moisture from the dough piece is dependent on the temperature,
method of heat transfer and the humidity of the oven.
Cracker doughs have a large quantity of added water, typically around 15 – 25% of
the total recipe. The final product will have a moisture content of around 2.5% and
this will require the removal and evaporation of 300 – 440 grams of water for
every kilogram of baked cracker. The evaporation of this water requires heat
transfer (the latent heat of evaporation), which is of 539 calories/gram of water. As
an example, the latent heat of evaporation required for baking 1200 kg/hour of
snack cracker will be around 224,000 kcal/hour.
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This is clearly a significant energy requirement for cracker baking. It is, however,
of much less significance for the baking of soft doughs and cookies. The equivalent
energy requirement to provide the latent heat of evaporation for a soft dough
biscuit would be between 87,000 and 45,000 kcal/hour.
Colour
There are several chemical and physical changes which contribute to the colouring
of the biscuit surface. After the moisture has been mainly evaporated from the
dough pieces, the temperature of the surface rises quickly and the colour will
change from around 150°C. There are three processes which contribute to the
browning of the biscuits. Caramelisation is a non-enzymatic browning reaction,
which is caused by the breakdown of sugars at high temperatures. The
caramelisation of different sugars occurs at different temperatures: fructose at
110°C, glucose 160°C and sucrose at 160°C and results in both colour and flavour
development.
Dextrinisation is the breaking down of starch molecules by heating. This produces
pyrodextrins which are brown in colour and have a distinctive flavour.
Dextrinisation of the starch occurs at temperatures of 100-200°C.
Maillard reaction. This is a complex chemistry in which many compounds are
formed at high temperatures by the reaction of reducing sugars and amino acids.
Since milk has a high content of proteins and amino acids, the Maillard reaction
will also contribute to the color of biscuits which have been brushed with milk
before baking giving a darker rich brown color. These browning processes all
require high temperatures and occur when the biscuit surface is already dry. The
coloring takes place in the final stage of the baking process.

Benefits of eating biscuits

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 1) Reduces nausea
Research show that that ginger biscuits may help in treating nausea and
motion sickness. In other studies, consumption of ginger was proven to help
in treating cold sweating and vomiting.
2) High in antioxidants
Ginger is also high in antioxidants, which are found in certain foods like
garlic, red wine, coffee and green tea. These foods help in eliminating free
radicals responsible for cell damage and increased risk of disease. Therefore,
regular consumption of ginger biscuits can prevent the occurrence of heart
disease and cancer.
3) Anti-inflammatory effects
Ginger biscuits also have anti-inflammatory effects, thereby are important
for problems like rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, ulcerative colitis and bursitis.
Although there are no known side effects of taking ginger biscuits, it is
advisable to moderate you intake if you are on medication.
4) Treats diabetes
Studies show that consumption of ginger biscuits may help regulate glucose
levels and hence is recommended for diabetes. However, it is advisable to
consult your doctor to avoid potential health complications.

There are no known side effects linked to consumption of ginger biscuits, but you
should moderate your intake to avert potential side effects.

QUALITY CONTROL

Biscuits are analyzed different properties including, moisture content and fat
content. Moisture content is analyzed by using the dry open oven method while the
fat content is analyzed by . There is also a hardness test that is performed.

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Physical analysis

Spread ratio: done by measuring height and diameters of sample biscuits.

Calculated as diameter divided by height.

Baking strength: biscuits placed between two metal bars weights added until it
breaks. The least weight that caused the breaking is regarded as break strength of
the biscuit.

Sensory evaluation

Qualities assessed are color, texture, flavor, crispness and general acceptability.
These are done by testing by judges.

Proximate composition

The moisture, protein, fat, ash and crude fiber contents are determined by
analytical procedures including: protein analysis by Kjedahl procedure, moisture
content by dry air oven. Carbohydrate content is determined by subtracting
%moisture+%protein+%fat+%ash+%crude fiber from 100.

Microbiological analysis

Pour plate method is used to determine the number of viable bacteria.

COOKIES

INTRODUCTION

A cookie is a baked or cooked good that is small, flat and sweet, usually containing
flour, sugar and some type of oil or fat. It may include other ingredients such as
raisins, oats, chocolate chips or nuts.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF COOKIES
CRISPNESS
Cookies are crisp if they are very low in moisture. The following factors contribute
to
crispness:
1. Low proportion of liquid in the mix. Most crisp cookies are made from a stiff
dough.
2. High sugar and fat content.
3. Evaporation of moisture during baking due to high temperatures and/or long
baking.
4. Small size or thin shape, so the cookies dry quickly during baking.
5. Proper storage. Crisp cookies can become soft if they absorb moisture.
SOFTNESS
Softness is the opposite of crispness.

1. High proportion of liquid in mix.

2. Low sugar and fat.
3. Honey, molasses, or corn syrup included in formulas. These sugars are
hygroscopic,
which means they readily absorb moisture from the air or from their surroundings.
4. Under baking.
5. Large size or thick shape. The cookies retain moisture.
6. Proper storage. Soft cookies can become stale and dry if not tightly covered or
wrapped.
CHEWINESS
Moisture is necessary for chewiness, but other factors are also required. Thus
all chewy cookies are soft but not all soft cookies are chewy.

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1. High sugar and liquid content, but low fat content.
2. High proportion of eggs.
3. Strong flour or gluten developed during mixing.
SPREAD
Spread is desirable in some cookies, while others must hold their shape. Several
factors
contribute to spread or lack of spread.
1. Sugar.
High sugar content increases spread. Coarse granulated sugar increases spread,
whereas fine sugar or confectioners’ sugar reduces spread.
2. Leavening.
High baking soda or baking ammonia content encourages spread.

3. Temperature.
Low oven temperature increases spread. High temperature decreases spread
because
the cookie sets up before it has a chance to spread too much.
4. Liquid.
A high liquid content spreads more than a stiff dough.
5. Flour.
Strong flour or activation of gluten decreases spread.
6. Pan grease.
Cookies spread more if baked on a heavily greased pan.

INGREDIENTS USED IN MAKING COOKIES

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Flour

All-purpose flour is generally used in cookie recipes. It is the largest portion of

ingredients in baking delicious cookies. This type of flour is ground finely out of
hard or soft wheat. Sometimes it is a blend of both kinds of wheat. Bleached flour
is sometimes used instead of all-purpose flour. Flour help to hold all the
ingredients in place.

Sugar

White sugar or brown sugar is used. Sometimes a mixture of both is required.

Brown sugar comes in two colors, dark and light. The difference in color is created
by the amount of molasses added to refined sugar. This creates a coarser
consistency than plain white sugar.

Leavening Agent

Baking soda or baking powder is the two most common leavening agents used in
baking cookies. Sometimes a mixture of the two agents are used. Baking powder is
a chemical leavening agent that works by creating carbon dioxide bubbles in the
cookie dough. Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate also creates carbon dioxide
bubbles in a similar fashion to baking powder, but it does not cause the cookie to
rise as much. Leavening agent cause the cookie to rise.

Oil

The oil added to the other important ingredients gives the baked cookie a tender
consistency. The oil may be in the form of butter, margarine, shortening or cooking
oil. The use of each oil gives the cookie a slightly different flavoring. When butter
is used, the recipe may call for salted or unsalted butter.

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Eggs

Eggs provide the cookie dough with body and they help hold all the ingredients
together. The more eggs used in the recipe, the more cake-like texture the baked
cookie will take on. The egg whites stabilizes the dough while the egg yolk
emulsifies batter and add richness to baked cookies. It also add flavor and colour to
the cookie.

Liquids

The function of liquids is to dissolve sugar and salt. The liquid in a cake can be
milk, juice, water or fruit with juice.

Flavourings

Some flavouring include: salt, vanilla, chocolate, spices, lemon extract almond
extract and butter flavourings. These flavourings are used only small amounts but
they have a big impact on flavour.
TYPES OF COOKIES
Cookies can be classified based on the makeup method/mixing method. The
makeup method is most commonly used.
Rules; Make all cookies of uniform size and thickness that is because baking times
are so short, small cookies may burn before larger ones are done. If the top of the
cookies are to be garnished with fruits, nuts, or other decoration the garnishes
should be placed as soon as they are paned and then they should be pressed gently
because if the surface of the dough begins to dry the garnish may not stick and will
fall off after baking.
TYPES ACCORDING TO THE MAKEUP;
1. Bagged/Pressed Cookies

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 Made from soft dough that must be soft enough to be fled through a pastry
bag by stiff, enough to hold its shape.
2. Dropped Cookies
There are made from soft dough. There are similar to bagged cookies where
the cookies are bagged out but dropped cookies also refer to cookies where a
spoon /scoop is used for depositing the dough. Pastry bag is often faster and
it gives better control over the shape and size of the cookies however, in the
following situation a scoop may be preferred that is when the dough contain
pieces of fruits, nuts or chocolate that doesn’t cog the pastry tube.
3. Filled Cookies
There are made from a cookie dough stiffed with a fruit or confectionery
contents before baking
4. Rolled Cookies
There are made from stiff dough. They are usually homemade as they
require excessive labor
Advantage: It allows one to make cookies in a great variety of shapes for
different occasions.
5. Molded Cookies
Here the dough is molded into desired shapes and special molds may be
used to flatten the dough and stamp a design on to the cookie. The dough
may be flattened with a weight and pieces can be shaped by hand.
6. Icebox/ Refrigerate Cookies
It is aided for operations that wish to have freshly baked cookies on hand at
all times. Here the rolls of dough are made in advance and stored and
cookies can easily be cut and baked as needed. It is the method used to make
multicolored cookies in various designs for example checkerboard and
pinwheel cookies.
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 7. Bar Cookies
Are made by the bar method where the dough is baked in long narrow stripe
and later cut cross-wide into bars.
8. Sheet Cookies
These vary so much.
9. Stencil Cookies
Made using the stencil method which is used with a particular dough
batter called the stencil paste.
PROCESSING AND PREPARATION OF COOKIES
1. PREPARATION OF INGREDIENTS

Methods of mixing the ingredients;

 One- Stage Method- it is a mixing method where all the ingredients are
added to the bowl at once. In this method all the ingredients are placed in the
mixer and with the paddle attachment they are mixed at low speeds until
they are uniformly blended. It is disadvantageous in that the baker has less
control over mixing and thus it is not commonly used as it can lead to
overmixing.
 Creaming Method- it is a mixing method that begins with the blending of fat
and sugars. The amount of creaming affects the texture, leavening and
spread of cookies. For light cookies creaming is done until the mix is light
and fluffy so as to incorporate more air for leavening while for denser
cookies the ingredients are blended into a smooth taste. If the cookies are
required to retain their shape and not spread too much small creaming is
done.
 Sponge method- it is a mixing method based on whipped eggs and sugar.

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PREPARATION

a) Sift the dry ingredients like flour and leavening agent to combine and aerate
them making for fluffier cookies.
b) Cream the butter and sugar to create air pockets that expand in the oven
making the dough tender. Butter creams well at room temperature.
c) Beat in the eggs one at a time, each one thoroughly beaten before the next is
added, to allow the creamed butter and sugar retain its trapped air. Make
sure to scrape the sides of the bowl so as to incorporate all the ingredients.
d) The dry ingredients that is the flour and leavening agent are now to be added
to the wet ingredients. These are added in few batches making sure to scrape
the sides of the bowl and incorporate everything evenly.
e) Fold in chips or Nuts- the heavy ingredients like nuts are folded into the
batter to keep it light and tender. The mix- ins are sprinkled on top and then
a large spatula is drawn through the batter folding the batter from the bottom
of the bowl over to the top until everything is incorporated.
f) Shape the cookies- each cookie recipe has its own shaping method the drop
cookies being the simplest where dough is scooped with a spoon or a small
ice-cream scoop and it is placed on the pan.

2. PANNING

a. Make sure the pans are clean and unwarped.

b. The pans should be lined with sheets with parchment or silicone paper as it
is fast and it eliminates the necessity of greasing the pans.
c. High fat cookies should be baked on ungreased pans.

NOTE: Heavily greased pans increases the spread on the cookie while a floured
and ungreased pan decreases spread.

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 3. BAKING

Baking of most cookies is done in ovens at relatively high temperatures (175 0C) for
a short time about 8-12 minutes.

 Very low temperatures increases spreading and may produce hard, dry and
pale cookies.
 Very high temperatures decrease spreading and may burn the edges or
bottoms.
 A single minute of overbaking can burn the cookies so they should be
watched closely.
 Doneness is indicated by colour that is the edges and bottom should just be
turning a light golden colour,
 Excessive browning is especially undesirable if the dough has been coloured
as the browning on the surface hides the colour.
 With some rich dough burned bottoms may be a problem and thus the
cookies should be double- panned by placing the sheet of pan on a second
pan of the same size.
4. COOLING
 Cookies baked with silicone must be removed from the pans while still
warm or they may stick.
 Very soft cookies should not be removed from the pans until they are cool
enough and firm enough to handle.
 Cookies should not be cooled rapidly or in a cold draft as they may crack.

 Cookies should be cooled completely before storing.

HEALTHY BENEFITS OF EATING COOKIES

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  Lose weight dramatically
The human body requires a minimum of 2,300 calories for women and 2,600
calories for men, for performing the daily metabolic activity. Eating cookies gives
one a high protein snack that provides the energy one needs without adding excess
fat. The cookies help one reduce the calorie intake on a daily basis. This will lead
to weight reduction.
 There are non- GMO foods
The cookies are not prepared from genetically modified food materials. This cuts
the risk due that arises due to the genetic modification.
The cookies have natural ingredients
All the ingredients in the wonder cookies are wholly natural .There are no artificial
sweeteners, preservatives, coloring or flavorings. This helps one to reduce the risk
of contracting lifestyle-based disorders, osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity.
 The cookies are completely gluten free
Wonder cookies are high protein snack completely free from gluten. Those who
are allergic to gluten, a substance found in wheat and oats, exhibit gluten
intolerance. Celiac disease often leads to allergic conditions, such as dermatitis
herpetiformis, an, inflammatory condition of the skin.
 Protein Rich
One of the health benefits of cookies is its rich protein content. Metabolism works
on converting these materials into energy. So, when you feel you are lacking
proteins in your diet, a cookie is sure to make up for it.

Other benefits
 Carry them with you everywhere

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Cookies need no special container unlike most other foods that are as tasty and
worth carrying around. People just wrap them in a foil and drop them in the pocket
and there are there when one feels hungry.

QUALITY CONTROL
FAULTS AND THEIR CAUSES
1. Too tough cookies- this is caused by;
i. Using a flour that is too strong
ii. Adding too much flour during baking.
iii. Using an incorrect amount of sugar.
iv. Improper mixing of the ingredients or mixing the ingredients for too long.
v. Use of little amounts of shortenings.

2. Too dry or too hard cookies- it is as a result of;

i. The baking temperatures being too low or baking the cookies for a long time.

ii. Use of too much flour and use of too strong flour.

ii. Use of little amounts of liquid and shortenings.

3. Poor flavoured cookies- it is caused by;

i. Use of dirty baking pans.

ii. Improper measurement of ingredients.

iii. Use of poor ingredients.

iv. Leaving out the flavouring ingredients.

4. Too crumbly cookies- it is as a result of;

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i. Use of too much leavening, sugar and shortening.

ii. Mixing the ingredients for a short period of time.

ii. When the eggs used are not enough.

5. Under browned cookies- it is caused by;

i. Baking temperatures being too low.

ii. Use of little amounts of sugar.

6. Over browned cookies- it is as a result of;

i. Use of high temperatures during baking.

ii. Use of too much sugar.
7. High spread cookies- it is caused by;
i. Use of too much sugar, leavening and liquid.
ii. Over greasing of pans.
ii. Baking temperatures being too low.
iv. Use of little amounts of flour.
8. Low spread cookies;

i. High temperatures during baking.

ii. Use of too much flour.

iii. Use of little amounts of sugar, leavening and liquid.

iv. Use of ungreased or slightly greased pans.
9. Uneven shaped cookies- it is as a result of;
i. Improper mixing.
ii. Uneven oven heat.
iii. Improper dropping of dough.
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