Chewy vs. Crunchy Round 2

The conversation continues regarding a 'chewy' chocolate chip cookie and a 'crunchy' chocolate chip cookie.  The following question was posed by my cousin Mike.  My response follows.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve always been under the impression that if you fill a pan with water (doesn't get any moister than that, lol) and you put it in an oven, no matter what temperature you heat it at the water will evaporate and the only thing that determines how much moisture is left in the pan is how long you leave it in the oven.


Of course different ingredients release their moisture at different rates depending on the temperature and time spent baking.


Texture, like smooth or grainy, and flavor are about the ingredients. Using nuts will make the texture crunchier, while raisins would make the same cookie chewier, but the moistness of the cookie dough still depends on how long you bake it. . . am i wrong?  Mike

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You're not wrong Mike. In theory yes, the less you bake a cookie the chewier/softer it will be. And you are on the right track about different ingredients releasing their moisture at different points in the baking process. But the quantity of different ingredients matters as well.

For instance, in my 'chewy' chocolate chip cookie, I had more eggs and butter than my 'crunchy' chocolate chip cookie AND in the 'chewy' I used all brown sugar, (as opposed to half and half - brown to white, in my crunchy cookie). Brown sugar has more moisture in it because of the molasses in that product.  Eggs, butter and sugar are all considered the 'wet' ingredients. So by adding more of these ingredients into a cookie dough, they will be more moist and create a chewier cookie.  (The more eggs will make the cookies more cake like as well.)

I hope this helps.  Below are my two recipes I use for my chewy and crunchy chocolate chip cookies.   Try them for yourself or maybe just compare them to the recipes you use.

Talk to you soon and thanks for the chat. It’s been fun!

Sharon

The Ultimate "Crunchy" Chocolate Chip Cookie

6 oz butter at room temp, 1 ½  sticks 2/3 cups granulated sugar 2/3 cups brown sugar 1 ½  vanilla extract 1 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda ¼  tsp salt 12 oz semi-sweet chips 1 cups chopped nuts if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Yield:  approximately 2 ½ dozen cookies

Beat the butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl on medium speed.  Mix in the flour, soda and salt.  Add the chocolate chips and if using, the nuts. 

Using a 1 ½ inch ice cream scoop, drop scoops on a parchment lined sheet pan.  With your finger tips, gently press the tops of the cookies….but do not flatten. 

Bake approximately 12 minutes.  Rotate the sheet pan after 8 minutes.  Cool 1 to 2 minutes then remove the cookies to a cooling rack.

The Ultimate "Chewy" Chocolate Chip Cookie

8 oz room temp butter (1/2 lb.) 1 ½ cups brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 12 oz chocolate 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Yields:  approximately 30 to 35 cookies

Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.  Cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy and soft.  Add the eggs and the vanilla and beat well.  Add the dry ingredients and incorporate fully. 

Using a 1 ½ inch ice cream scoop, drop scoops on a parchment lined sheet pan.  With your finger tips, gently press the tops of the cookies….but do not flatten.  Bake on a parchment lined sheet tray at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.  Rotate as needed.

Cool completely.  Store in an air tight container.