User:Oivasnic/sandbox

This is the user sandbox of Oivasnic. I will be using this space to write-out drafts and enhance my Wikipedia editing skills.

In the first step of the cookie-making process, butter and sugar are creamed together until homogeneous. Butter, a water-in-oil emulsion, is composed of aqueous water (suspended as small droplets) and milk fat globules, both of which are dispersed in a continuous liquid oil phase. Solid fat crystals are also in this continuous phase, creating a network of crystals. This fat crystal network is largely dependent on temperature; as the temperature changes, the ratio between the solid fat and liquid fat becomes disrupted. Specifically, as temperature increases, the solid fat content (SFC) of the butter diminishes, and in turn, the fat crystal network loses its solid-like properties. It is this network of fat crystals that is thought to be responsible for the stabilization of the trapped air bubbles during creaming. These stabilizing properties of the butter are present and active up until approximately 20°C (68°F) – which also happens to be the temperature at which butter (and other milk fat-based products) are often used – room temperature. Therefore, using room temperature butter will provide a fat-crystal network that is malleable enough to be perforated by the crystalline sucrose molecules, while also stable enough to trap air bubbles generated by the mechanical leavening brought on by creaming, ultimately resulting in a fluffy-textured chocolate chip cookie.

After the butter and sugar are creamed, eggs are added one at a time, until all components are evenly distributed. While the addition of the whole eggs acts to bind all the preceding ingredients together, natural triglycerides and phospholipids are supplied specifically by the egg yolks. One of these phospholipids include lecithin, an amphiphilic molecule that gives rise to the emulsifying properties of eggs and is a contributing factor to the even distribution of fats within the butter-sugar mixture.

Once eggs have been added, flour is the first of the dry ingredients to be incorporated. Flour is composed of non-gluten and gluten-forming proteins, the latter of which include low-molecular weight gliadin and high-molecular weight glutenin. On their own, glutenin and gliadin exist in an immobile state and do not interact with each other. However, in the presence of water (i.e. from the egg whites and butter), the proteins become hydrated and are imparted with a newfound flexibility. With this mobility, gliadin can weakly associate to glutenin, forming sheet-like arrangements known as gluten. Through the stirring/mixing process, hydrated flour proteins are continuously stretched, allowing for kinks in the gluten to unravel and align themselves. This promotes further cross-linking and disulfide bond formation between gluten molecules and the gluten network is strengthened to the point where air bubbles can securely be trapped.

It is critical at this point that the dough is not over-mixed. Superfluous stirring of the flour and dry ingredients may result in an over-development of gluten whereby excessive stress is put on the proteins and a lack of kinking and cross-linking ensues. As a result, the dough will have little elasticity, and the baked cookie product will have a dense, heavy crumb reminiscent of bread. To prevent this overworking of gluten, it is recommended that the dry ingredients be mixed just until the dough comes together, i.e. until no more flour is seen. However, there is a preventative measure with the presence of lipids. The fats in the dough act as surfactants over flour proteins, coating them with a thin layer and effectively impeding the water molecules from entering and creating more gluten strands.

In addition to the flour, other dry ingredients can be added. Salt is often used as a flavor enhancer, however, it can also inhibit the activity of protein-digesting enzymes in the flour that may weaken the gluten network. Baking soda is another dry ingredient added to the dough, and its role as a chemical leavening agent is contingent upon its basicity. The alkaline baking soda will act to neutralize acidic components that are present in the dough. This reaction results in the evolution of carbon dioxide, another means by which the cookie product is aerated.. To complete the formation of the cookie dough, chocolate chip morsels and any other additions (nuts, dried fruits) can be folded in during this time. At this point, the dough that has been formed can be chilled or portioned out and immediately baked in a pre-heated oven.

Oivasnic (talk) 15:50, 16 December 2017 (UTC)Oivasnic