Introduction 1:
Recently, scientists have been altering and testing different variables in recipes to create the world’s best chocolate chip cookies. They have noticed that different variables affect two different aspects of the cookie: the quality and the taste. Scientists have been able to support the theory that changing to the type of chocolates used changes the taste of the cookie. They then have been looking into the different variables that change the quality of the cookie. We hypothesize that changing the type of lipid used to make the cookies will change the quality of the cookie.
Introduction 2:
As the need to satiate the human sweet tooth with the perfect treat grows, the search for the perfect snack rages on. Even more so, the need to be able to easily transport this treat is vitally important, as we now live in an “on-the-go” generation. This necessity was identified through the work of M. Mushicookie, C. Chocochip and their team, where in their meta-analysis of various surveys taken throughout the baking industry, the need to have a handheld food device skyrocketed after horses were no longer used for transportation. Mushicookie observed: “..since horses are no longer the main transportation, and the risk of having your means of transportation eat your food, people seemed to really need a way to eat something truly portable. Not only that, but it had to be the perfect sweet treat. And multitudes of data concluded that in efficiency, portability, and overall yumminess, the portable treat had to be the chocolate chip cookie” (Mushicookie et al., 1950).
Therefore, to order to understand the compatibility between the ingredients of a standard chocolate chip cookie and to optimize the overall yumminess (in Yms) of the final product, we chose to test three different substitutions of the lipids found in the recipe. We hypothesized that different types of lipids may change the quality of the cookie produced, and between the three variants of lipids, butter will rate the highest in yumminess amongst the three.
Materials and Methods:
We heated an oven to 190℃. We made three batches in the sameway, however the first batch called for ½ cup of vegetable shortening. The second batch called for ¼ cup shortening and ¼ butter, and ½ cup butter only in the third batch. While the oven was pre-heating the following ingredients were mixed together: 1 cup of flour, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of NaCl. These ingredients were then set aside in a medium beaker. In a separate beaker we collected the appropriate lipid for each of the three batches. ¾ cup of brown sucrose and ¾ cup of white sucrose were gradually added to the lipid mixture and creamed with the mixer. 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla was added then beat until completely mixed. After all of the ingredients were mixed well, 1 cup of chocolate chips was added. The ingredients were then formed into balls about 2.0 cm in diameter and set on a cookie sheet. The cookies were then placed in the oven at 190℃. After 10.5 minutes the cookies were set on top of the stove to cool. After about fifteen minutes of cooling, five cookies were tested for the level of yumminess in Yms.
Results:
We tested the yumminess of three different types of cookies. We used three different recipes which were different only in the lipid that was used. The cookies made with shortening or shortening and butter had similar average yumminess (Figure 1). Cookies made with butter had approximately twice the average yumminess than those made with shortening or butter and shortening (Figure 1).
Figure 1.Average level of yumminess per cookie recipes for multiple trials. Error bars illustrate two standard deviations and the 95% confidence limits.
Discussion 1:
The experiment was designed to test the hypothesis that changing the type of lipid used in making the cookies, it may change the overall quality and yumminess of the cookie. Specifically, we compared the use of butter and vegetable shortening to determine which lipid would produce a better cookie. We found that cookies that were made by using butter only had a much higher yumminess than cookies that were made with vegetable shortening only or a combination of the two. This rate was consistent across all 5 trials that were conducted and there were relatively small standard deviations. The standard deviation of the butter only group was 1.5, the standard deviation of the shortening only group was 0.75, and the standard deviation of the shortening and butter group was 0.8. As seen in figure 1, the average level of yumminess was highest in butter, and lowest in shortening only. In future experiments to determine the highest level of yumminess for a cookie recipe, butter only should be used as the lipid and another alteration to the recipe should be changed and tested.
Discussion 2:
According to the data, in the results section it is seen that the butter only treatment had the highest level of yumminess on average (in Yms). In the shortening and butter and the shortening only treatment had about the same levels of Yumminess on average. The butter is able to spread out through the cookie faster because of its low melting point (Camilla 28). The test subjects might have preferred crispier cookies on average; and then gave higher levels of yumminess to butter. In future research, we can have a wider variety of subjects to test more yumminess levels of the cookies.