Everyone has their own preferences on how their cookie should be. Chewy or crispy? Living in New Zealand, one of our national treasures is the beloved Cookie Time cookie, and I’ve grown up microwaving such palm-sized creations for the perfect melted cookie.
I have also grown up knocking my teeth on Griffins chocolate chippie cookies. The kind where you clamp the cookie between your molars and angle it to snap off a bite.
Whatever your idea of a perfect cookie is, understanding the science can help you develop your go-to recipe.
Crispy cookies
Crispy cookies are actually easier to make. Soft cookies have a water concentration of 6% or higher – moisture being the variable in texture. To make cookies crispy, add less liquid or bake it in the oven for longer to dry out the dough.
Generally bake around 13-15min at 180C for a crispy cookie. But if you want a thoroughly crispy cookie – not those just charred on the outside – decrease the temperature to 140C and bake for 30min.
Chewy cookies
Sugar dissolved in baking forms a syrup as the dough heats up. Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key!
White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.
Why use melted butter?
Melted butter creates cookies with a different texture compared to cookies made with softened or creamed butter. When butter is melted, it coats the flour more evenly, resulting in cookies that are chewier and denser. This can be desirable for certain types of cookies, like chocolate chip cookies or brownie-like cookies.
Extra tip
Chilling your cookie dough before baking prevents the cookie from spreading and creating cookie disasters like below. If you don’t have time or the self-control to wait overnight, pop them in the freezer.
Put it to the test!
Try this matcha & white chocolate cookie recipe or this chewy cookie recipe to find your perfect mouthful of cookie.
Mochi cookies
These were a game-changer for me! It’s combining two of my loves – and all you need to make the mochi is a microwave. You can make them filled or unfilled depending on your tastes and preferences. You can create any flavour of mochi using freeze dried fruit powder.
This mochi cookie recipe is my OG. And if you’re a lover of biscoff, you can take it to the next level with the biscoff mochi cookies.
Beyond the chocolate chip cookie
If you’re looking for something beyond the classic chocolate chip, I loved developed the ube cookie. Thanks to the addition of ube halaya (ube jam) in the recipe, these cookies are perfectly fudgy and stay moist for days. In fact, the flavour develops and deepens, tasting even better after Day 1!
Even more wild is the potato chip cookie. Potato chips, dark chocolate and cookie seems like an unlikely trio, but if you lovebothsweet and savoury snacks – this is THE recipe for you. It’s like a platter party in your mouth.
