Always ask Why.. Always Question Rules.. Always Experiment..

[mouser]

I was just following links and got to this long post on making chocolate chip cookies:

http://blog.josephhall.com/2006/11/chocolate-chip-cookies.html

And it reminded me of the thing that is so remarkable in this world, which is that no matter what concept you can imagine, someone somewhere is experimenting, studying, documenting, and discovering new things about it.

We can't spend all of our time going deep into the mysteries of every idea and object we interact with daily.  But it's nice to occasionally take a trip a little deeper into something then you are used to.

Here's some of the text from that chocolate chip cookie article:

But there are important things to remember about butter vs margarine. Butter melts differently. Butter has different ratios of fats. Butter is a different fat altogether than margarine. Don't think you can go swapping it out willy-nilly; you will not have the same results. I'm not saying you won't like the results. But I am saying that I probably won't.

I used bread flour. You see, I like chewy cookies. I don't like thin and crispy. I don't like light and fluffy. I like chewy. Bread flour has a higher protein content, and the possibility to develop more gluten. It's important to remember that it doesn't actually contain gluten, but it does contain more of the proteins that create gluten. In order for gluten to form, it needs moisture and it has to be worked. Note: fat is not the same thing as moisture. In fact, fat shortens the gluten strands, whereas actual moisture helps them develop. I also upped the ante on baking soda. This was to help the cookies spread more slowly. This is not a concept that I fully understand, nor think worked. I also used dark brown sugar, because I like the deeper flavor that it offers.

[cranioscopical]

Always ask Why.. Always Question Rules.. Always Experiment..

Why do you say that?

[app103]

I was just following links and got to this long post on making chocolate chip cookies:

I call that having a Click Adventure. 

Kitchen chemistry is a fascinating subject...especially in regards to cookie baking. 

And the author is absolutely correct when stating you can't substitute different fats (and sugars) without changing the results.

Of course if you experiment a lot like I have, then you learn how things will behave.

And once you know that, you can create your own original cookies from just about anything and know how the cookie will taste and what its texture will be even before you start making it.

If anybody wants to try some experimenting in the kitchen, I have one for you to try...

I put a recipe for 'fake glass' on a blog awhile back, with an idea to build a candy house using only the fake glass...kind of like a gingerbread house without any gingerbread. If anybody wants to play with that, I'd love to see a photo of the results.

Which reminds me...I haven't been typing up all those recipes for awhile...I really need to get back to doing that so I can share them all.

[CodeTRUCKER]

Chocolate chip! my favorite!  How long is it 'til dessert...