The Investigation of the Range of Chewiness of Ginger Snap

Cookies
Claire Larson
Abstract:
The purpose of the experiment is to test the chewiness of a gingersnap
cookie by cooking the cookies with different amounts of cooking times. The
cooking times will differ per cookie, and the experiment will test if the
cooking time effects the chewiness of the cookie. Each cookie was made
with the same recipe, and at the same temperature. In addition, the cookies
were tasted by taste testing participants, and the participants are asked how
chewy the brownies are on a scale of 1-5 (1 being dry and crispy, 3 being
perfectly chewy, 5 being too moist or chewy.) Results were taken from the
taste test participants, and the chewiness was tested by adding weights on
top of the cookies after being cooled. The results verified that the cooking
time affected the chewiness of the cookie. Specifically the results showed
that the more cooking time the cookie received, the less chewier the cookie
was, and vise versa. The results can influence aspiring chefs and cooks who
are cooking ginger snap cookies, and help chefs when deciding how long to
cook their cookies for depending on what kind of cookie they want.
Original Ginger Snap Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup sugar in a shallow bowl, for finishing
2 or 3 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans covered with parchment or foil
Directions

Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350
degrees. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a bowl; stir well
to mix. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment, beat together on medium speed the butter and sugar for about
5 minutes until very light, fluffy and whitened. Add the egg and continue
beating until smooth. Lower speed and beat in half the dry ingredients, then
the molasses. Stop the mixer and scrape down bowl and beater. Beat in the
remaining dry ingredients. Remove bowl from mixer and use a large rubber
spatula to finish mixing the dough. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out
1-inch diameter pieces of dough. Roll into balls between the palms of your
the hands, then roll in the sugar. Place the balls of dough on the prepared
pans leaving about 3 inches all around each, to allow for spreading. Bake the
cookies for ~15 minutes, or until they have spread, the surface has crackled,
and they are firm to the touch. Slide the papers from the pans to racks. Store
the cooled cookies between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in a tin or
plastic container with a tight-fitting cover.
Recipe courtesy of Nick Malgieri

Introduction:
In this experiment, ginger snap cookies are being made in order to test the
amount of weight it takes to compress the cookie, and seeing if the
measurement of the weight on top of the cookie corresponds with the
cookies overall chewiness. In addition, data will be collected from test
takers on how chewy they think the cookie is to their liking. The chewiness
of the cookie will be rated on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the chewiest and
moistest cookie, 1 being the driest, crunchiest cookie, and 3 being the
perfectly chewy cookie . The data from the participants should correlated
with the data from the weight measurements on top of the cookie, which
would be the best possible outcome, and is expected. It is expected that the
less amount of baking time the cookie receives, the more chewier and moist
the cookie will be, and vise versa.
The experiment is being conducted in order to test the interaction between
the qualitative data from the test takers, and the quantitative data from the
weight measurements, and to collect the data of the utmost highest quality.
Furthermore, this experiment is designed to overall test the chewiness of a

gingersnap cookie by using different amounts of cooking time, then

measuring the chewiness. Chewiness is the main component of this
experiment because chewiness can be essential to the food consumer,
depending on the preference of the consumer. One may prefer a chewy
cookie, while another may prefer a crunchier and crispier cookie.
It is essential to understand the concept of adding weights to the cooked
cookie in order to measure the chewiness, which will the primary form of
finding our quantitative data.
The cookies will invoke normal amounts of butter and cooking time
(according to the above recipe,) then made with larger amounts of butter
and less cooking time, and vise versa. The cookies will be labeled and tested
with the amount of butter and cooking time each cooking received.
ButterButter is a product made from the solid components in milk (fat and protein).
Thus, butter is primarily a make up of fats and proteins, as well as
triglycerides and many different kinds of fatty acids. The complete makeup
of the different types of fatty acids is below:
Table 1: Fatty acids in butter. Percentage composition from Practical Physiological
Chemistry, P. B. Hawk, O. Bergeim, Blakiston:Philadelphia, 1943.

% total fatty acid in

butter

Fatty acid

Structure

oleic acid

CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7
COOH

31.9

myristic acid

CH3(CH2)12COOH

19.8

palmitic acid

CH3(CH2)14COOH

15.2

stearic acid

CH3(CH2)16COOH

14.9

lauric acid

CH3(CH2)10COOH

5.8

butyric acid

CH3CH2CH2COOH

2.9

caproic acid

CH3(CH2)4COOH

1.9

capric acid

CH3(CH2)8COOH

1.6

caprylic acid

CH3(CH2)6COOH

0.8

linoleic acid

CH3(CH2)4CH=CHCH2CH
=CH(CH2)7COOH

0.2

linolenic acid

CH3CH2CH=CHCH2CH=
CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)7CO
OH

0.1

When butter is heated, it begins to melt. The sulfuric acid, one of many acids
that makes up butter, releases, which then lets the butter melt. The sulfuric
acid in butter helps maintain butter's structure, which is why the butter
starts to fall apart and melt. If not refrigerated, the sulfuric acid breaks down
and separates which allows the butter to fall apart and melt. Once separated,
the butter has a surfactant that keeps the butter from separating completely
into a layer of fat and a layer of water.
EggsEggs are a make up of water and proteins, while the yolk contains more
proteins that the white portion of the egg. The yolk is primarily made up of
less water and more proteins, as well as vitamins and minerals such as iron,
vitamin A, vitamin D, phosphorus, calcium, thiamine, and riboflavin. In
addition, the yolk is also a source of lecithin, an effective emulsifier. The egg
white is made up of 40 different types of protein. When you heat eggs, the
proteins that make up the eggs shake violently, unwind, and break apart.
These broken proteins make new chains after broken up. These bonds
connect one broken protein to another.
SugarSugar is a derived name from its multiple chemical names, like sucrose,
glucose, galactose and fructose. These chemicals are made of hydrogen,
carbon, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar, (as listed above) all
from different sources. Simple sugars, or monosaccharides, include glucose
(also known as dextrose), fructose, and galactose. Table sugar is a
disaccharide, called sucrose (cane sugar) and is the sugar that will be used in
the recipe. Below is a table that has the chemical formula for the most
common types of sugar.
Table 2: Chemical formulas and types for common sugars.
Name
Type of sugar (mono =1 or di
Chemical formula of sugar
=2 sugar units)
Galactose
Monosaccharide
C6H12O6

Lactose
Sucrose
Maltose

Disaccharide (glucose +
galactose)
Disaccharide (glucose +
fructose)
Disaccharide (glucose +
glucose)

C12H22O11
C12H22O11
C12H22O11

Since sugar is made from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, if sugar is met with
heat or fire, the crystallized form of sugar will turn into a liquid. In addition,
once the heat reaches the sugar, the heat causes the sugars atoms to
combine with oxygen in the air, which forms new groups of atoms. Because
of this, energy is released in the form of smoke and black soot (if sugar is the
only thing that is burned.)
Flour- Flour is an ingredient that is usually the bulk of any baked item. Flour
is mostly just a ground down or pulverised grain. The kind of flour depends
on what part of the grain is retained during the milling process. All flours are
composed largely from starch and protein, but wheat flour is peculiar in that
is has larger levels of proteins known as gluten. Gluten within the flour lets
baked goods and breads rise and puff up when heating and cooked. The
three kinds of grain that can be retained are endosperm, bran , or germ.
Common flour varieties include all-purpose, unbleached, bread flour, cake
flour, pastry flour, self-rising flour, whole wheat, stone ground, semolina, rice
flour, and masa harina flour. Flour includes a high proportion of starches,
which is a subgroup of more complex carbohydrates that are also known as
polysaccharides. Common preservatives that are sometimes added to
commercial flour include Calcium propionate, Sodium benzoate, Tricalcium
phosphate, Butylated hydroxyanisole.
When flour is combined with a liquid and heat is added, individual starch
grains absorb the liquid and swell. This process is called gelatinization, and
this causes the liquid to thicken. Gelatinization occurs at different
temperatures for all different kinds of starches. Root-based starches like
potato and arrowroot tend to thicken at lower temperatures but break down
quickly, whereas cereal-based starches like corn and wheat thicken at higher
temperatures but break down more slowly. Higher levels of sugar can hinder
gelatinization, while salt can promote it.
Another process that can happen to flour when heated is called
caramelization. This occurs when the sugars in carbohydrates are browned

from the heat, as the oxygen and other atoms are reacting with the heat,
forming the color. For this experiment, we will be using regular, all-purpose
flour.

Methods:
Equipment- 5 (cooled for 10 minutes when testing with weights, or
cooled for a recorded amount of time when given to taste
testers) gingersnap cookies made with preset known amounts of
baking time, labeled.
- Timer to time the amount of cooling
- Small weights (in grams) OR a stack of Quarters
- Parchment paper
- Scale (in grams)
- Measuring tool (ruler with cm or mm)
- Calculator
- Results table or some kind of other sheet to record data
- Participants of ginger snap tasting
Safety ConcernsDO NOT conduct experiment if allergic (or think you could have a bad
reaction) to any of the ingredients, within the gingersnap recipe! Please
inform those who are participating in the experiment of the ingredients
within the cookies as well.
Wear gloves when dealing with ginger snaps to prevent any unwanted pieces
on skin.
You may be dealing with warm ingredients. Make sure cookies are completely
cooled before handling and serving to others.
Always wear safety goggles

First, lay all five cooled (for 10 minutes exactly!) cookies out on parchment
paper. Make sure that the cookies are labeled with the amounts of cooking
time, between 10 and 26 minutes, as this is the dependent variable. For the

five experiments, divide the 20 minutes (between 10 and 26) to the five
cookies (the first cookies has 10 minutes of cooking time, the second cookie
has 14 minutes of cooking time, and so on until the fifth cookie has had 26
minutes of baking time.) Your control cookie is the cookie baked for 15
minutes, as the original recipe calls.
Measure the height of the first cookie, in millimeters. Record this height. Take
the first small weight (or quarter) and record its weight, then place this
weight on top of the first cookie. Keep adding weights to the cookie, until the
cookie has completely flattened or crumbled. After the cookie has flattened,
record the amount of weight and the number of weights that were placed on
the cookie. Document the final height of the cookie, and record if the cookie
has been flattened or crumbled. Calculate the percentage of the decrease in
the height of the cookie by taking the starting height and subtracting the
final cookie height. Take this number and divide it by the original height, then
multiply by 100. This is your percentage of the decrease in your cookie
height, record this number. Repeat these steps for the other four cookies.
Once the data above is recorded and finalized, take the labeled cookies to
taste participants. If cookies have been cooled for longer than 10
minutes, record how long the cookies have settled since out of the
oven, to when the participants tasted the cookies! Keep cookies in
an airtight container until given to taste testers! Give the participants
a sample of one labeled cookie, and ask what they think the chewiness of the
cookie is using a number on the scale, 1-5. Reserve 1 being an extremely
crispy and crunchy cookie, 3 being the perfectly chewy cookie, and 5 being
too moist and chewy of a cookie. Record the number, and repeat this for the
other labeled 4 cookies. Finally, ask the participate their rating of the control
cookie. Record this number.
All in all, the time the cookie was baked for, the starting height of the cookie,
the final weight on top of the cookie, the concluding height of the cookie, the
calculated percent decrease of the cookies height, and the rating of the
chewiness of the cookie from the tasting participants are all relevant
numbers to the experiment. In addition, it should be noted if the cookie was
broken or flattened as the final weights were placed on top of the cookie.

Results:

The results below show the necessary information that was taken during the
xperiment in order to efficiently determine thechewiness of the cookie. The
information that was taken in table 1 includes the cooking time of the
cookies, the starting height of the cookie, the weight that was put on top of
the cookie in order to flatten the cookie, a note of if the cookie was broken or
flattened during the experiment, the final height of the cookie taken after the
weight was added, and the percentage decrease of the cookie. In addition, in
table 2, the chewiness of the cookie based on a scale of 1 to 5 was taken
from the taste testers, as well as the average, median, range, and time that
the cookie was cooled before it was tasted.
The control cookie was listed as the cookie that cooked for 15 minutes
because the recipe that was used called for the cookie to be cooked for
about 15 minutes, and it was decided that this should be the control cookie
and that the chewiness of the control cookie should be tested.
**All cookies are 2 Tablespoons of dough
Table 3: Results for Ginger Snap Cookie Tests and Measurements Pertaining to
Ginger Snap Cookie Tests

Cooking
Time In
Minutes

Starting
Cookie
Height (in
cm)

Weight on Top
of Cookie (in
grams) OR
Number of
Quarters on
top of Cookie

Cracked
Cookie or
Flattened
Cookie?

Final
Cookie
Height
(in cm)

Percentage
of Decrease
in cookie
Height

Control- 15
Minutes

1.5 cm

1083.7 g

Flat

1.3 cm

13%

10 min

1.3 cm

654 g

Flat

1.15 cm

11%

14 min

1.1 cm

1059 g

Flat

.9 cm

18%

18 min

1.1 cm

2867 g

Flat/Cracke 1 cm
d

9%

22 min

1.5 cm

3521 g

Cracked
but in tact

1.4 cm

9%

26 min

1.3 cm

4978 g

Cracked

1.2 cm

9%

Table 4: Results for Taste Tests of Chewiness of Ginger Snap Cookies

Cooking Time
of Cookie

Number of
Taste
Participant
s

Average

Median

Range

How Long Did

the Cookie
Cool Before
Taste?

15 MinutesCONTROL
COOKIE

3.2

10 Minutes

10 Minutes

4.1

1.5

10 Minutes

14 Minutes

2.4

2.5

10 Minutes

18 Minutes

1.7

10 Minutes

22 Minutes

1.4

10 Minutes

26 Minutes

10 Minutes

Figure 1: Average, Median, and Range of the Chewiness of Ginger Snap Cookies Tasted by 5
Taste Participants

Figure 1 represents the average, median, range, and time in a data chart.
The chart shows how as the cooking time for the cookies increased, the
chewiness according to the taste testers decreases. The average, median,
and range prove this.
Discussion:
The results conclude that as the cooking time decreased, the cookie was
easier to flatten, meaning the cookie was chewier. In contrast, the results
show that as the cooking time increased, the cookie was crunchier and
crispier. It was expected that the cooking time would affect the chewiness of
the cookie, and both sets of results in table one and two confirm this. It is
expected that with less cooking time, the cookie will be more raw, thus
leading to a softer, chewier cookie, and with more cooking time, eventually
the cookie will be burnt and crunchy, as shown specifically in table 1. It was
uncertain at first if this would work with the specific cookie recipe, but as the
results show, the cooking time affected the chewiness of the cookie.
I am confident in my results, although the methodology within the
experiment was not definitively perfect. Some errors could have occurred

when placing weights on top of the cookie, as the weight distribution may
have not been even on top of the middle of the cookie. The weight needed to
be on top of the middle of the cookie in order to avoid the more cooked
sides. The cookie would have been more likely to be flattened easily if the
weight was evenly distributed in the middle and softest part of the cookie. In
addition, an error could have occurred because different weights were used
for placing on the cookie. It would have been more exact if the same weights
were used during the test, as using different weights could have a different
impact on the cookie being flattened. Additionally, an error could have
occurred was when the cookie was measured, as the ruler I used was not
very clear-cut. Last, another error could have occurred within the scale, as
the scale was dirty and had a lot of dirt on itself, which could have added to
the final weight once measured.
In order to improve the experiment, more participants could have been
asked to taste the cookies, as well as what their opinion of the cookie is.
Moreover, the scale should have been wiped clean and zeroed out before
every experiment. More of the same weights should have been used as well
in order to receive the most precise measurements. Additionally, using a
ruler with millimeters and measuring the height of the cookie in millimeters
would have given more explicit measurements, as the cookies were not more
than 2 cm. Getting another person to approve of what I think the height of
the cookie could have been helpful as well, and could lead to more particular
results.
Conclusion:
As you can tell, the results clearly articulate that the cooking time influences
the chewiness of ginger snap cookies, according to the recipe that was used
for the experiment. The results exhibit that with the less amount of cooking
time, the more soft and chewy the cookie will be, and with the more amount
of cooking time, the crunchier and less chewy the cookie will be. These
results are significant in a way that can help chefs decide what kind of
cookies they want using the outcomes of the tested cooking times above.
For those who enjoy softer and chewier cookies, make it a goal to give your
ginger snap cookies less time to cook. Using the recipe above, it is advised
that for a softer cookie, one would want to cook their cookie for about 10
minutes. For those who like crunchier cookies, give your ginger snaps more
time to cook. Using the recipe above, it is advised that one should cook their

cookie for about 18 minutes. The results show specifically what the perfect
amount of cooking time is for the perfectly chewy cookie, and the cooking
times that can be used for those who prefer a chewier/crunchier cookie.
Depending on the taster, you can view the results above to find your perfect
cookie based on the cooking time.

References:
1. Malgieri, Nick. "Incredibly Crisp Gingersnaps : Cooking Live : Food
Network." Incredibly
Crisp Gingersnaps Recipe : Food Network.
Food Network, 4 Oct. 2008. Web. 11 May
2016
2. Field, Simon. "Why Does Butter Melt?" 200 Questions About Chemistry.
Science Toys,
2011. Web. 11 May 2016.
3. "Science of Eggs: Egg Science | Exploratorium." Exploratorium: The
Museum of Science,
Art and Human Perception. The Accidental
Scientist, 23 Apr. 2003. Web. 11 May
2016.
4. . Touccette, Beth. "Heating Sugar." Experiment. Education.com, 6 Sept.
2013. Web. 11 May
2016
5. Wiley, John. "Food Science Basics: Effects of Heat on Starches and Sugars."
ChefsBlade.
Chef's Blade, 2006. Web. 11 May 2016.