Cookie Science Fair Project

Hi guys,
A few weeks back, I asked you what made your ideal chocolate chip cookie. I told you that I needed input for a science project. Well, its finally science fair day, so here is my final project. For the science fair at school I used a Power Point presentation, but I could not get a power point into a blog post. Instead, you get a recreation of the Power Point in blog-post form! Yay!

Beyond The Mixing Bowl: What Really HappensWhen You Bake a Batch of Cookies

Introduction

Terribly under-appreciated in today’s modern and mechanized society, the fine art of baking has been around for thousands of years. From the first loaves of bread baked in 2600 BC by the ancient “egyptians, who [are] believed [to have] learned the skill from the Babylonians.” (Pfister) to the exquisite cakes seen at the formal gatherings and parties of the twenty-first century, baked goods have been warming the tummies of civilization from its very roots.

One passes by so many baked-goods each day that the true beauty and wonder of baking doesn’t even cross one’s mind. What if, however, one paused while gobbling down his or her cookie and began to wonder just what really happens when the cookies in the oven begin to smell like heaven?

What if? I ask you, What if?

Hypothesis

When a tray of muffins slides into the oven, something magical happens. Okay, fine. It might not technically be magic, but it is no less awe-inspiring.

There’s more at play than just a simple matter of heating the dough to the right temperature. As the dough bakes, several chemical reactions take place. These reactions are responsible for everything from the perfectly delicate texture of an Angel’s food cake to the succulent, mouth-watering aroma of browning cookies.

If so much as one of these reactions were thrown awry, then an entire batch of cookies could be thrown off course into a get-me-some-water-’cause-this-cookie-is-dryer— than-cornstarch-in-the-desert disaster.

The Game Plan

To see just how each element of a cookie affects the end result, I’m going to mess with perfection. Dun Dun DUN. 

1.)Bake a normal batch of cookies 2.)Bake a normal batch of cookies, but let the dough set for 24 hours prior to baking. 3.)Bake a batch of cookies with baking soda 4.)Bake at batch of cookies with baking powder 5.)Bake a batch of cookies with honey 7.)Bake a batch of cookies with white sugar

Cookie Poll Results

(Thanks to everyone who participated in this survey....YOU ROCK!!!)

And The Experiment Results:

Batch 1: Control

Thin and crispy, the control batch was perfectly browned with a nutty, caramel flavor around the edges.

Batch 2: Overnight Dough

My second batch of cookie dough sat overnight to develop stronger flavors. I ended up with a caramel-flavored cookie with roughly the same texture and consistency (though slightly chewier) as my control batch.

Batch 3: Baking Soda

When I left out all baking powder, using baking soda in its place, the cookies ran into each other and became thinner. This resulted in a crispier cookie.

Batch 4: Baking Powder

The Baking-powder-only cookies were perfect! Light and fluffy, they retained their size and shape, resulting in a sweet, soft cookie.

Batch 5: Honey

Well, this was bound to get interesting… When the sugar was replaced with honey, the cookies became too wet. The dough would not hold its shape, and thus became a cookie-cake. Also, the Honey cookies were overly sweet, and they left a spongy, crumbly cookie that did not hold together very well.

Batch 6: White Sugar

And finally, when the usual brown sugar was replaced with white sugar, the cookies had a lighter color and did not develop the caramel flavor often found in chocolate-chip cookies. This did not affect the consistency or texture of the cookie, but the flavor and color was thrown awry.

And the pictures:

The Science

1.) Leavening — the Baking soda or powder makes the dough “rise”

“When the sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) absorbs heat, a chemical reaction occurs. The carbon dioxide from the reaction can be seen from the bubbles in the cookies.” (How to Bake a Cookie) 

  2NaHCO3 –> Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2

2.) Caramelization — Sugar melts and browns, hardening and turning into crispy caramel

When Sugar is heated up, it melts, then foams up, then the water evaporates and the various components of the sugar react with each other creating a wide variety of flavors and aromas. During caramelization, Sucrose breaks down into Caramelization Products:

2C12H22O11 = 4H20 C24H36O18 Caramelan 

3C12H22O11 = 8H20 C36H50O25 Caramelen

 

And then, C125H188O80 Caramelin. 

So basically, heating sugar results in adding a syllable and switching the last vowel in the word “Caramel” :)

3.) Everybody's favorite, the Maillard Reaction —  this browns the cookie, resulting in a nutty, toasty crust. 

When the sugars and proteins in a cookie are heated above 285℉, they react and brown to form a nutty, flavorful crust. When you begin to smell your cookies baking and your mouth begins to water, you’re smelling the Maillard reaction occurring. 

This is very similar to caramelization. The difference is that Caramelization uses only sugar, whereas the Maillard reaction occurs between sugars and proteins. 

And a quick video (credits to owner...not me) to explain the Maillard Reaction

And finally: The Sources

(And, NOPE! Blogger does NOT accept standard bibliography format. Excuse my non-reverse-indented credits.)

"Chemical Leavening | Baking Processes | BAKERpedia." Bakerpedia. Bakerpedia, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

Czernohorsky, J. H., and R. Hooker. "The Chemistry of Baking." New Zealand Institute of Chemistry. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

"How to Bake a Cookie – In Terms of Chemistry." Molecular Gastronomy. Wordpress, 25 Nov. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.

KENJI LÓPEZ-ALT, J. "The Food Lab: The Science of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies." Serious Eats. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

Miller, Anne. "The Science Behind Baking Your Ideal Chocolate Chip Cookie." NPR. NPR, 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

Pfister, Fred. "History of Baking and Pastry Cooking." History of Baking and Pastry Cooking. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

"The Maillard Reaction." Youtube. Foodsciencetv, 19 May 2011. Web. 2 May 2016.

 I hope you enjoyed this science project! Thanks again to everyone who participated in the survey!