In article ,
Janet Baraclough wrote:

The message
from Julia Altshuler contains these words:

Let's say I'm using the recipe for chocolate chip cookies found on the
back of the Nestles' package.


In one batch, I cream the sugar with the butter and proceed.
In the other batch, I melt the butter, then add the sugar.
Everything else is identical.
What would the difference be in the finished product?

I don't know what kind of "cookies " you mean,...biscuits or cupcakes?
Creaming the butter incorporates air so I'd expect sponge cakes made
with melted butter to be harder denser and flatter rather than light
and airy.

I've never heard cupcakes referred to as cookies before. Is it a
regional thing?

Miche

--
Electricians do it in three phases

On Apr 14, 2:49*pm, Julia Altshuler wrote:
Billy wrote:

Someone here will have to do the "experiment". * Why don't you do it
and report back to us. *

It may be a few weeks before I feel like baking again, but I'm planning
on doing exactly that.

In the mean time, if anyone else does the experiment, would you mind
emailing me privately? *I know it's an imposition, but I'm only checking
the usenet group now and then, taking long vacations from y'all, then
bopping back in when I have something to report.

--Lia

I did the experiment many years ago. Used the recipe from the back of
the nestles cc bag. Melted butter (or margarine) produces a flatter
cookie than creamed butter (or margarine).

Susan B.

Michael "Dog3" wrote:
Julia Altshuler dropped this news4udneV4ULcL-
: in rec.food.cooking

Let's say I'm using the recipe for chocolate chip cookies found on the
back of the Nestles' package.


In one batch, I cream the sugar with the butter and proceed.
In the other batch, I melt the butter, then add the sugar.
Everything else is identical.
What would the difference be in the finished product?
Would the cookies be a different shape?
Would the batch made with melted butter be flatter?


Thanks for help on this. I've always creamed the butter and sugar
according to package directions and have wondered.

I used melted butter instead using the exact recipe above. I only did it
once. I used melted because I had 2 frozen sticks of butter and put them
in the microwave to thaw but forgot to hit the thaw button and melted
them to a liquid consistency. The cookies were not good. They were
brittle and felt greasy. The taste was not right either. I threw them
out.

Michael



Did you chill the dough before baking it? I've baked cookies with
melted butter before and didn't have that problem at all -- but I
usually chill the dough, and the butter would have hardened again.

Bob

On Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:37:43 GMT, "Dimitri"
fired up random neurons and synapses to opine:

Look below. You will not get the volume required in the recipe in addition
the sugar will probably burn on the bottom of the cookie.

Dimitri

http://www.baking911.com/howto/cream.htm

Dimitri? blinking in surprise is that you? spitting on monitor and
wiping with tissue OMG! Hinterland CA finally got an internet
connection!

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd...ducking and running
--
"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

-- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "meatloaf" with "cox"

Michael "Dog3" wrote:
Julia Altshuler dropped this news4udneV4ULcL-
: in rec.food.cooking


Let's say I'm using the recipe for chocolate chip cookies found on the
back of the Nestles' package.

I used melted butter instead using the exact recipe above. I only did it
once. I used melted because I had 2 frozen sticks of butter and put them
in the microwave to thaw but forgot to hit the thaw button and melted
them to a liquid consistency. The cookies were not good. They were
brittle and felt greasy. The taste was not right either. I threw them
out.


Then you've tried it! Thanks for the voice of experience. Sorry you
had a bad time with it, but thanks for letting me off the hook. I don't
have to do it now.


--Lia

Julia Altshuler wrote:
Let's say I'm using the recipe for chocolate chip cookies found on the
back of the Nestles' package.


In one batch, I cream the sugar with the butter and proceed.
In the other batch, I melt the butter, then add the sugar.
Everything else is identical.
What would the difference be in the finished product?
Would the cookies be a different shape?
Would the batch made with melted butter be flatter?


Thanks for help on this. I've always creamed the butter and sugar
according to package directions and have wondered.


--Lia

On the Food Network, Alton Brown in episode "Three Chips for Sister Marcia"
explains 3 cookie types The Thin, The Puffy, The Chewy. He uses chocolate
chip cookies for all three types. In the chewy, the butter is melted. I
know someone here knows how to find the episode itself so that you can read
his explanation. Otherwise, you can find the recipes for the three cookie
types within his program "Good Eats.: There are upcoming airings of the
program during April.
Janet

Janet Bostwick wrote:

On the Food Network, Alton Brown in episode "Three Chips for Sister Marcia"
explains 3 cookie types The Thin, The Puffy, The Chewy. He uses chocolate
chip cookies for all three types. In the chewy, the butter is melted. I
know someone here knows how to find the episode itself so that you can read
his explanation. Otherwise, you can find the recipes for the three cookie
types within his program "Good Eats.: There are upcoming airings of the
program during April.


Yes! Thanks!
I've found the recipes he
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._13617,00.html

And the explanation he
http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Seaso...Transcript.htm


That last web page is annoying since it's white type on a black
background, and all the conversational nonsense is left in, but the
information is good, I think.


I forget who in this thread suggested bread flour for a chewy cookie,
but that's in there.


I knew that some recipes call for shortening instead of butter, and
Alton's got that for his puffy version. I wanted to stick with butter.
(Get it? Stick of butter?)


The version calls for melted butter. That's the recipe I'm going to try
next week.


Thank-you, everyone!


--Lia

On Apr 14, 4:45*pm, Julia Altshuler wrote:
Nancy2 wrote:

What you say may be correct, but I melt the butter in my favorite
recipe, and it stays nice and full, never flat. *I don't think there's
a one-size-fits-all answer to this question, because there are so many
variables, especially in cooking temp/time, type of shortening used,
etc.

I agree with you about the variables. *The first thing I see is that
your recipe calls for margarine and butter. *I'm trying to stick to all
butter. *The difference in fat would affect the outcome, wouldn't it?
But I'm saving this recipe for when I want something that's reliably fat
and chewy. *I think that I'm actually going to have to make 2 batches of
cookies, one with melted butter and one with creamed butter and sugar.

--Lia



Big Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies * *by Nancy Dooley

1 stick oleo, melted and cooled to lukewarm
1/2 *stick butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
1 C. light brown sugar
1/2 C. white sugar
1 extra large or jumbo egg, plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla (I used a scant T.)
2 C. plus 2 T. flour (white, bleached, all-purpose)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 12-oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, regular or "mega."

Put the melted shortening and the sugars in a mixing bowl. *Mix until
thoroughly blended. *Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix
thoroughly. *Put the flour, salt and soda in a bowl and whisk or sift
once. *Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and mix
thoroughly. *Stir in chips by hand.

Line cookie sheets with baking parchment. *Drop cookie dough on cookie
sheets. *Cover unbaked dough with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out.
Bake at 325 deg. for 13 minutes (check at 11 minutes). *Cookies should
be slightly brown on the peaks and edges, and light colored and soft
in the center.

Remove from oven, leave on cookie sheets and cool. *Do not put new
batches on hot cookie sheets; make sure sheets have cooled before
reusing. This recipe makes about 3 doz. cookies.

Store in airtight container with waxed paper between layers; (I just
use the parchment that the cookies were baked on) the baked cookies
can be frozen if individually wrapped in plastic wrap and sealed
tightly. *The raw dough can be frozen in an airtight container for up
to two weeks. *Thaw it in the refrigerator. *Thaw baked cookies at
room temperature.
*The baked cookies are best eaten within two days.

Variations: *Instead of chocolate chips, use chunks of white
chocolate *(6 oz.) and macadamia nuts (about 3/4 cup, cut into coarse
bits) (or use proportions of chocolate and nuts to taste).

For the choc. chips, you can substitute 1 C. quick-cooking oatmeal and
1 C. raisins, plumped 5 minutes in boiling water.

You can also substitute 1 1/2 pkg. (about 18 oz.) of brickle bits and
3/4 C. coarsely chopped pecans for the choc. chips.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

In my recipe, all butter gives you a crisper cookie; adding the baking
oleo makes them more chewy. Either way, the outcome looks the same -
not flat, just beautiful ;-)

N.

On Apr 15, 8:30*am, Julia Altshuler wrote:
Janet Bostwick wrote:

On the Food Network, Alton Brown in episode "Three Chips for Sister Marcia"
explains 3 cookie types The Thin, The Puffy, The Chewy. *He uses chocolate
chip cookies for all three types. *In the chewy, the butter is melted. *I
know someone here knows how to find the episode itself so that you can read
his explanation. *Otherwise, you can find the recipes for the three cookie
types within his program "Good Eats.: *There are upcoming airings of the
program during April.

Yes! *Thanks!
I've found the recipes hehttp://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...OOD_9936_13617...

And the explanation hehttp://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Seaso...Transcript.htm

That last web page is annoying since it's white type on a black
background, and all the conversational nonsense is left in, but the
information is good, I think.

I forget who in this thread suggested bread flour for a chewy cookie,
but that's in there.

I knew that some recipes call for shortening instead of butter, and
Alton's got that for his puffy version. *I wanted to stick with butter.
* (Get it? *Stick of butter?)

The version calls for melted butter. *That's the recipe I'm going to try
next week.

Thank-you, everyone!

--Lia

One more note about flat CC cookies - Martha Stewart raves about the
ones her daughter makes, and they are flatter than flat. Not my
style, but it takes all kinds....

N.

Nancy2 wrote:

One more note about flat CC cookies - Martha Stewart raves about the
ones her daughter makes, and they are flatter than flat. Not my
style, but it takes all kinds....

N.

I like flatter, crisper chocolate chip cookies.

"Terry Pulliam Burd" wrote in message
...

Snip


Dimitri? blinking in surprise is that you? spitting on monitor and
wiping with tissue OMG! Hinterland CA finally got an internet
connection!

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd...ducking and running

fast enought for Skype & webcam.

No duck & run necessary.

Been a little busy. Check your email.

Dimitri

On Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:21:08 -0400, Julia Altshuler
wrote:

Dimitri wrote:

Look below. You will not get the volume required in the recipe in
addition the sugar will probably burn on the bottom of the cookie.

http://www.baking911.com/howto/cream.htm


That's an excellent webpage, thanks. As you could probably tell from my
question, I'm looking for a flatter cookie. The possibility of burning
doesn't bother me as much, as my baking pans are so thick, I usually end
up baking for longer than the suggested time to get anything to brown.


I can see that it's a complicated subject. I'm going to have to try it
and see. (I've always been like that. First I ask a question. I
believe the answer, but I don't REALLY believe it until I've tried it.)


--Lia

the empirical approach. nothing wrong with asking for advice first,
though.

your pal,
blake

Julia Altshuler wrote:
Janet Bostwick wrote:

snipped

I knew that some recipes call for shortening instead of butter, and
Alton's got that for his puffy version. I wanted to stick with butter.
(Get it? Stick of butter?)

Ooooh, punny lady! ;D

The version calls for melted butter. That's the recipe I'm going to try
next week.


Thank-you, everyone!