Rippled chocolate chip cookies without the bang?
- Thread starter Zaxmom
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Try rolling the dough balls in sugar before baking. Sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it draws out moisture from its environment. Like a chocolate crinkle Christmas cookies, the sugar coating draws out the moisture, drying out the crust, causing the top the crack and crinkle.
Thank you for your reply, Norcalbaker. I use the technique you mention for my chocolate crinkle and molasses ginger cookies when I'm looking for a cracked, crinkled effect. Making ripples in a cookie is a little bit different. The ripples look like waves that start at the outer edge of the cookie and move towards the center. Banging the cookie sheet against the oven rack several times before cookies are done creates a rippled effect in the cookie. I'm hoping to find another method of making ripples in cookies that don't involve banging the pan.
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No, the science behind it is essentially the same. All that is happening when banging the sheet on the countertop is breaking the gluten structure before it sets. Then allowing it to bake and set.
The sugar coating on crinkle cookies snickerdoodles is exactly the same thing. It pulls the moisture from the cookie, and dries it out the crust, and breaks the gluten structure early before it sets. The cookie continues to bake.
Your only other alternative is to bang the cookie sheet. There’s no other way to disrupt the baking process. Baking is a chemical reaction of all the ingredients to temperature and time. so you either interrupt the baking process physically by banging the cookie sheet, or you interrupted chemically, which is to use sugar.
Thank you, Norcalbaker. I didn't realize that the sugaring of my crinkle cookies was essentially the same thing as banging the pan. I understand things better now, that doing something physical or chemical (pan banging or sugaring cookies at the outset) interrupts the gluten structure before the cookies set. I appreciate the explanation. It's most helpful!
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There could be no alternate method for upsetting the baking system. Baking is a compound response of the relative multitude of fixings to temperature and time. so you either interfere with the baking system truly by banging the treat sheet, or you hindered synthetically, which is to utilize sugar.
To achieve rippled chocolate chip cookies without banging the pan, try chilling your cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for about an hour before baking. This helps them hold their shape and spread more slowly, creating nice layers. You can also adjust your baking by starting at a higher temperature to set the edges, then lowering it to finish baking without over-browning. Adding an extra yolk or more brown sugar to your dough can also help create a chewier texture with a rippled appearance.