See recipe tab to the right for the cookie ingredient calculator java applet!
 |
| Left: a plot showing my conceptualization of the range of cookie textures; they range in tallness and chewiness. Right: cross sections of the cookies I made. Top row are the chewy variety, bottom row are the crispy variety. |
Everyone in the world has their own favorite kind of cookie, some like them thick and chewy, some (who I'll never understand) prefer the thin and crispies. To the people who don't even like cookies, why are you here? The function of each cookie ingredient is fairly well understood, so visionary Alton Brown used this information to develop a "chewy", "thin" and "puffy" spin-off of the classic "Toll-House" chocolate chip cookie recipe by manipulating the fat, sugar, protein and moisture content in specific ways.
But why stop at three? Based on the information provided in the "Three chips for Sister Marsha" episode and other references, I've developed a system of equations where users can input how chewy and tall they would like their cookies, on a scale from 0 to 1, and calculate the required cookie ingredients. With these equations, programmed into the applet, there are theoretically infinite recipes at your disposal! Enjoy!
Some shortcuts:
- If an ingredient is listed at <0.05, you can probably leave it out.
- 0.125 = 1/8, which can help when you're approximating a volume
- AP flour has protein content midway between bread flour and cake flour, so if you need 1.125 cups bread flour and 1.125 cups cake flour, you can instead just use 2.25 cups AP flour. Another example, if you need 0.75 cups bread flour and 1.5 cups cake flour, you can instead use 1.5 cups AP flour and 0.75 cups cake flour, since 0.75 cups bread flour and cake flour average out to be the same as AP flour in protein content.
- Nothing wrong with approximating, I know it's difficult to measure 0.87 egg whites.
All-purpose recipe:
1) Combine Fats (any butter or shortening) and sugars (brown or white sugars) until smooth.
2) Add Liquids (water, milk, vanilla extract) and egg components (all whites and yolks) to creamed fats. Combine until smooth.
3) Add flours, leavening agents (baking soda and/or baking powder), and salt. Combine until smooth.
4) Stir in chocolate chips.
5) (Optional) If you want thicker cookies (thickness parameter > 0.5), I would recommend chilling the batter for at least 45 minutes
6) Scoop out batter with an ice cream scooper onto parchment paper laid on a baking sheet, 6 per sheet.
7) (Optional) If you want thinner cookies (thickness parameter < 0.5), I would recommend flattening out the scoops manually to about 1/4" thick.
8) Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes. (15 minutes for chewiness > 0.5, 18 minutes for chewiness < 0.5).
In photos, the general procedure:
Combining fats, sugars, and liquids
Adding flour and chocolate chips
Distribution onto pan and baking
