What Makes Some Cookies Chewy and Some Crisp? | undefined (2024)

ATK Kids

Kids can explore the answer with a sweet science experiment that’ll leave you with a mixed batch of sugar cookies.

Published Dec. 17, 2021.

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

To explore one side of the crispy-chewy conundrum, we created an edible science experiment for kids in The Complete Cookbook for Young Scientists (you can also find it on our kid-friendly website). Kids bake one batch of cookies with white granulated sugar, and one batch of cookies with dark brown sugar. Naturally, there’s a taste test to help them determine the results.

What Makes Some Cookies Chewy and Some Crisp? | undefined (2)

As kids eat and examine the cookies, they’ll notice that the cookies made with brown sugar are darker in color; have a moister, chewier texture; and bend easily. Their cookies made with white sugar will be lighter in color; have a drier, crispier texture; and will snap when bent. That’s partly due to brown sugar (which is just granulated white sugar with molasses added to it) adding more water to the cookies than white sugar thanks to that molasses.

Another reason cookies made with brown sugar are moister and chewier? Sugar is hygroscopic—it’s really good at absorbing and holding on to water from its surroundings. And brown sugar is even more hygroscopic than white sugar.

Bottom line: When it comes to cookies, the type of sugar you use matters.

Hey! Did you know ATK Kids has itsvery own YouTube channel? Subscribe now and watch great, funny, silly, and delicious cooking videos for the whole family.

Check out our new series,ScientificallyDelicious.

What Makes Some Cookies Chewy and Some Crisp? | undefined (2024)

FAQs

What Makes Some Cookies Chewy and Some Crisp? | undefined? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

What makes cookies chewy or crisp? ›

Well, the long and short answer to chewy cookies is it's all about the moisture content. Cookies that are dense and chewy incorporate more moisture into the batter. This can be achieved by making substitutions with wet and dry ingredients, or even just changing the way you incorporate certain ingredients.

What can cause a cookie to be too crisp? ›

Adding too little flour can cause cookies to be flat, greasy, and crispy. Most recipes assume you'll use all-purpose, but if you want a lighter, crumblier cookie texture, choose one with a lower protein content such as cake-and-pastry flour.

Why are my cookies hard and chewy? ›

Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly. The lack of moisture makes the cookies hard and dry, which makes them difficult to enjoy.

Why are my cookies crisp? ›

The temperature of your oven plays a huge role in the texture of your cookies! A lower oven temperature will give your cookies more time to spread before they start to rise, resulting in a crispier cookie. I recommend baking your cookies for a bit longer at a lower temperature to achieve the texture you're looking for.

What is the secret to chewy cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

How do you keep cookies crisp and chewy? ›

How do you store cookies to stay crisp? To keep crispy cookies crisp, you need to keep them away from moisture. Always store different types of cookies separately—soft cookies can cause crispy cookies to soften due to their extra moisture. Place crispy cookies in an airtight container, but don't completely seal it.

What produces crispness in cookies? ›

Sugar: Using white sugar or corn syrup in a cookie produces a crisp end product. Corn syrup also browns more readily than some other sugars. Egg: Recipes without egg will yield a flatter, crisper cookie with more spread. Eggs provide moisture for steam which leavens the cookie dough.

What does adding egg yolk to cookies do? ›

A cookie made with extra egg yolk (or, in this case, only egg yolk), will be lighter and chewier than a cookie made with whole eggs. The cookies will also have a richer flavor thanks to the added fat in egg yolk.

What are three factors that contribute to a chewy cookie? ›

Salted butter, softened – I prefer salted butter but you can also use unsalted and add an extra pinch of salt to the dough. Brown sugar – Just brown sugar because we will get the 'granulated sugar' flavor from the corn syrup. Corn syrup – The corn syrup is what makes these cookies CHEWY FOR DAYS.

How to make cookies chewy after baking? ›

There are a few ways to keep cookies chewy and soft. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container. If you notice the cookies are starting to harden, add a slice of bread or a few marshmallows to the bag, the moisture from the bread or marshmallows should soften the cookies within a few hours.

Why did my cookies come out flat and chewy? ›

OVEN IS TOO HOT

Oven temperatures are a crucial factor in baking. If your cookies consistently come out flat, you may have selected the wrong baking temperature. If you bake cookies using too much heat, the fats in the dough begin to melt before the other ingredients can cook together and form your cookie's rise.

What makes a cookie crisp vs chewy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

How do you make cookies crispy again? ›

You can crisp up nearly any baked good. Preheat your oven to 350F, put the cookies or whatever on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for 5 to 10 minutes. Take them out and cool them like you would home baked cookies.

Does baking powder make cookies crispy? ›

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate and acidic salts. The reaction of these two ingredients results in a cookie that is soft and thick, but slightly harder.

What keeps cookies soft and chewy? ›

The bread/apple trick

Here's a baker's trick you'll find in our new Monster Cookies recipe: Adding a piece of fresh white bread to the storage container will keep cookies from becoming hard or stale.

How do you make hard cookies chewy? ›

How to make hard, crunchy cookies soft and chewy? If you have a batch of cookies that have come out hard and crunchy you can somewhat save them! Place the cookies in an airtight container or zipper-lock bag with a slice of bread. In a few hours the cookies should be softer.

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