How do you make the best cookies?
Resources: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/FoodSci_p014.shtml#procedure
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/12/the-food-lab-best-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe.html
http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/12/the-food-lab-the-best-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Materials:
Process:
3. Refrigerate the batch of cookie dough for 24 hours (one day). Make sure that the cookie dough is stored in the refrigerator the whole time and not left out on the counter. Unrefrigerated cookie dough is not safe to eat or bake! This batch will be your refrigerated cookie dough. It will be ready to be baked in a day.
4. When ready to bake, follow oven directions, and let the refrigerated dough sit on the counter for 1 hour to warm back up to room temperature before baking.
5. Immediately after baking the batch of refrigerated cookie dough, make a second batch of cookie dough. This will be the freshly made cookie dough. Bake this batch of cookies right away for exactly as long as you baked the refrigerated batch.
Safety Hazard:
Eating raw cookie dough is dangerous because when raw eggs are eaten there is a chance you can get salmonella. Also we will be using the toaster oven, so we will have to be careful to make sure we don’t burn ourselves.
Clean Up:
We will wash everything in the sink, and wipe down any dirty surfaces.
Documentation:
We will be taking pictures throughout this entire process.
Science:
Turns out that during the resting process, both flour proteins and starches break down a bit. How does this help improve flavor?
It helps to think of proteins and starches as large LEGO structures. During the process of browning, those large structure are broken down into smaller parts and individual pieces and subsequently rearranged. Sort of like destroying that LEGO castle so you can build a dozen spaceships. Now, both of these phases—the breaking down and the reconstruction—take time.
Looking Back:
The cookie lab was so much fun to do. The lab was fun and tasty. For this project I worked with Lydia, and Evan, and we did a good job working together.While doing this we learned that there is actually a lot of science behind making cookies, and we learned about the temperatures and how it affects the test.The cookies that we made, whether they were in the freezer or not turned out really good, even though the shape of them wasn't perfect, they ended up tasting really good. One thing that I think we could have improved on while doing the project was to prepare for the project beforehand , so the muffins wouldn't end up all over the place. We never had baked cookies at school before doing this project, so we never knew how it would turn out, because we weren't sure if there was going to be a difference between the temperature change .
Looking Beyond:
I think there is science in evrything that you do, but I wasn't expecting there to be this much science in baking. It's interesting all these different ingredients combine to make something tasteful, and it's interesting how the temperature affects the taste. Turns out that during the resting process, both flour proteins and starches break down a bit. How does this help improve flavor? It helps to think of proteins and starches as large LEGO structures. During the process of browning, those large structure are broken down into smaller parts and individual pieces and subsequently rearranged. Sort of like destroying that lego castle so you can build a dozen spaceships. Now, both of these phases the breaking down and the reconstruction take time.
Looking Inward:
I think my partners and I got desirable results, because we followed the recipe and we worked really well together. We also got to learn about the science in making cookies and we got to taste how temperature affects it, and they also tasted so good. I think we also got desirable results because of the research that we did, we found a really good website containing how to make really good cookies and how taste would affect it. We didn't really mess up at all, the only thing would be to get ingredients on time and to manage time more efficiently. Overall we did a really good job and the cookies turned out to be really good.
Looking Outward:
In this project I worked with Lydia and Evan, Lydia has been my partner for all of the other projects, I have worked with for a few projects and I think we all work really well together, because we can collaborate, and we like the same kind of things. The projects that we have done so far have all been fun and very interesting, and I think we all learned a lot. I think we both contributed really well. I contributed to the work, by bringing in some materials that were not available, and I was able to contribute by doing some research.
Looking Forward:
If I were to do this project again, I would change up a few things. I would probably try getting all of the ingredients in a day before, so we don't have to rush into things without having some of the materials. I would also make a lot more, because they were so good, and many people enjoyed them. I think my partners and I did a good job, because we collaborated really well, and we were both able to contribute, because we all brought in ingredients. I do not think that there is way to continue on with project, because they are just muffins. There possibly could be way to continue it by finding different ways to cook it, or you could leave the cookies in the fridge for a little longer.
Take Away:
This experiment was so much fun to do. The cookies turned out really good. I think I really learned a lot of science by doing this experiment. I was never aware of all of the ingredients and how temperature can affect cookies, and how they help to make the cookies. The first thing that we did to make them was to add all of the dry ingredients, then to mix them up. The second part was to add all of the wet ingredients together, and to mix them up. After that you just mix all of it together, and then you put them into the muffin liners, and then put in the oven for 25 minutes. For the other ones, we baked them the same, but we just put them in the fridge for 1 day. Overall this experiment was so much fun and I really enjoyed it.
Resources: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/FoodSci_p014.shtml#procedure
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/12/the-food-lab-best-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe.html
http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/12/the-food-lab-the-best-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Materials:
- All purpose flour 1 cup 2 tablespoons (2 1/4 cups)
- Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon (1 teaspoon)
- Salt 1/2 teaspoon (1 teaspoon)
- Butter or margarine softened 1/2 cup (1 cup)
- Granulated white sugar 6 tablespoons (3/4 cup)
- Packed brown sugar 6 tablespoons (3/4 cup)
- Vanilla Extract 1/2 teaspoon (1 teaspoon)
- Eggs 1 (2)
- Chocolate chips
Process:
- To make the cookie dough, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl. In a second bowl, use a spoon or electric mixer to beat the butter, granulated white sugar, packed brown sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture is creamy. Add the egg to the butter mixture, beating well after added. Gradually add the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Continue to mix the dough until it is well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- After the first batch of cookie dough is made, put it into a small mixing bowl. Cover the top of the dough with a layer of plastic wrap. Make sure the wrap is actually touching the dough and not just stretched over the top of the bowl. This will prevent the cookie dough from drying out. For added protection, add a second layer of plastic wrap on top.
3. Refrigerate the batch of cookie dough for 24 hours (one day). Make sure that the cookie dough is stored in the refrigerator the whole time and not left out on the counter. Unrefrigerated cookie dough is not safe to eat or bake! This batch will be your refrigerated cookie dough. It will be ready to be baked in a day.
4. When ready to bake, follow oven directions, and let the refrigerated dough sit on the counter for 1 hour to warm back up to room temperature before baking.
5. Immediately after baking the batch of refrigerated cookie dough, make a second batch of cookie dough. This will be the freshly made cookie dough. Bake this batch of cookies right away for exactly as long as you baked the refrigerated batch.
- Use the same recipe, oven setting, ingredient brands, cooking time, and cookie sheet for both batches of cookies.
- Make sure to keep the cookies from the two batches separate from one another so that you don't mix them up.
- As soon as the refrigerated cookie dough cookies are cool, it is a good idea to move them to a cookie tin or other container. Label the container "1" to indicate it was the first cookie batch you made. This will help prevent you from mixing up the two batches of cookies.
- When the freshly made cookie dough cookies are cool, move them to a second container labeled "2."
- At the end of the day, you will have two batches of cookies baked, cooled, and stored in labeled cookie tins or containers. Now you're ready for the taste test!
Safety Hazard:
Eating raw cookie dough is dangerous because when raw eggs are eaten there is a chance you can get salmonella. Also we will be using the toaster oven, so we will have to be careful to make sure we don’t burn ourselves.
Clean Up:
We will wash everything in the sink, and wipe down any dirty surfaces.
Documentation:
We will be taking pictures throughout this entire process.
Science:
Turns out that during the resting process, both flour proteins and starches break down a bit. How does this help improve flavor?
It helps to think of proteins and starches as large LEGO structures. During the process of browning, those large structure are broken down into smaller parts and individual pieces and subsequently rearranged. Sort of like destroying that LEGO castle so you can build a dozen spaceships. Now, both of these phases—the breaking down and the reconstruction—take time.
Looking Back:
The cookie lab was so much fun to do. The lab was fun and tasty. For this project I worked with Lydia, and Evan, and we did a good job working together.While doing this we learned that there is actually a lot of science behind making cookies, and we learned about the temperatures and how it affects the test.The cookies that we made, whether they were in the freezer or not turned out really good, even though the shape of them wasn't perfect, they ended up tasting really good. One thing that I think we could have improved on while doing the project was to prepare for the project beforehand , so the muffins wouldn't end up all over the place. We never had baked cookies at school before doing this project, so we never knew how it would turn out, because we weren't sure if there was going to be a difference between the temperature change .
Looking Beyond:
I think there is science in evrything that you do, but I wasn't expecting there to be this much science in baking. It's interesting all these different ingredients combine to make something tasteful, and it's interesting how the temperature affects the taste. Turns out that during the resting process, both flour proteins and starches break down a bit. How does this help improve flavor? It helps to think of proteins and starches as large LEGO structures. During the process of browning, those large structure are broken down into smaller parts and individual pieces and subsequently rearranged. Sort of like destroying that lego castle so you can build a dozen spaceships. Now, both of these phases the breaking down and the reconstruction take time.
Looking Inward:
I think my partners and I got desirable results, because we followed the recipe and we worked really well together. We also got to learn about the science in making cookies and we got to taste how temperature affects it, and they also tasted so good. I think we also got desirable results because of the research that we did, we found a really good website containing how to make really good cookies and how taste would affect it. We didn't really mess up at all, the only thing would be to get ingredients on time and to manage time more efficiently. Overall we did a really good job and the cookies turned out to be really good.
Looking Outward:
In this project I worked with Lydia and Evan, Lydia has been my partner for all of the other projects, I have worked with for a few projects and I think we all work really well together, because we can collaborate, and we like the same kind of things. The projects that we have done so far have all been fun and very interesting, and I think we all learned a lot. I think we both contributed really well. I contributed to the work, by bringing in some materials that were not available, and I was able to contribute by doing some research.
Looking Forward:
If I were to do this project again, I would change up a few things. I would probably try getting all of the ingredients in a day before, so we don't have to rush into things without having some of the materials. I would also make a lot more, because they were so good, and many people enjoyed them. I think my partners and I did a good job, because we collaborated really well, and we were both able to contribute, because we all brought in ingredients. I do not think that there is way to continue on with project, because they are just muffins. There possibly could be way to continue it by finding different ways to cook it, or you could leave the cookies in the fridge for a little longer.
Take Away:
This experiment was so much fun to do. The cookies turned out really good. I think I really learned a lot of science by doing this experiment. I was never aware of all of the ingredients and how temperature can affect cookies, and how they help to make the cookies. The first thing that we did to make them was to add all of the dry ingredients, then to mix them up. The second part was to add all of the wet ingredients together, and to mix them up. After that you just mix all of it together, and then you put them into the muffin liners, and then put in the oven for 25 minutes. For the other ones, we baked them the same, but we just put them in the fridge for 1 day. Overall this experiment was so much fun and I really enjoyed it.