--- title: The Science Behind Baking the Most Delicious Cookie Ever description: Because, c’mon, we’re talking chocolate chip cookies here. canonical: https://time.com/3179770/the-science-behind-baking-the-most-delicious-cookie-ever/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-26T13:00:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:02:26.715Z og:title: The Science Behind Baking the Most Delicious Cookie Ever og:description: Because, c’mon, we’re talking chocolate chip cookies here. og:url: https://time.com/3179770/the-science-behind-baking-the-most-delicious-cookie-ever/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d59d3d27c480c6b/6986a0e4cd804d54a6ccc800/30574_cookie-testing02text.jpg?branch=production&width=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 600 og:image:height: 338 og:image:alt: 30574_Cookie-Testing02TEXT og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Science Behind Baking the Most Delicious Cookie Ever twitter:description: Because, c’mon, we’re talking chocolate chip cookies here. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d59d3d27c480c6b/6986a0e4cd804d54a6ccc800/30574_cookie-testing02text.jpg?branch=production&width=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Science Behind Baking the Most Delicious Cookie Ever > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Girl Scouts Selling Cookies Through A Drive-Thru [Watch (HLS stream): Girl Scouts Selling Cookies Through A Drive-Thru](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Mxe7MpZq.m3u8) (1:04)  _Published 2015-03-10. A Girl Scouts troop in New Hampshire created a drive-thru to sell their boxes of cookies._ by [Anne Miller/Ozy](https://time.com/author/ozy/) ## Anne Miller/Ozy Aug 26, 2014 1:00 PM UTC  HANDLE THE HEAT by [Anne Miller/Ozy](https://time.com/author/ozy/) ## Anne Miller/Ozy Aug 26, 2014 1:00 PM UTC _This post originally appeared on_ [_Ozy.com_](http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/the-secret-to-baking-the-best-chocolate-cookie-science/6613.article)_._ You like soft and chewy. He likes thin and crispy. If only there were a chocolate chip cookie recipe that pleased everyone… There is! And, no, it’s not Martha Stewart’s. It’s science. We’ve taken our cues from a few spots: a bioengineering grad student named Kendra Nyberg, who co-taught a class at UCLA called Science and Food, and chef and cookbook author [Tessa Arias](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt%5Fathr%5Fdp%5Fsr%5F1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Tessa+Arias&search-alias=books&text=Tessa+Arias&sort=relevancerank), who writes about _cookie science_ on her site, [Handle the Heat.](http://www.handletheheat.com/2013/08/the-ultimate-guide-to-chocolate-chip-cookies-part-2.html) There’s also an illuminating [Ted Talk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6wpNhyreDE&noredirect=1) animation on cookie science. And if you really want to go nuts (or no nuts, your call), [Serious Eats](http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/12/the-food-lab-the-best-chocolate-chip-cookies.html?ref=search) offers 21 painstakingly tested steps for the Perfect Cookie, including kneading times and chocolate prep techniques. “Even though I can describe what I like,” says Nyberg, “I didn’t know the role of each ingredient in the texture and shape of cookies.” So she looked into it — as only a scientist can. ([MORE: His Grandfather Invented Doritos But Tim West Prefers Kale](http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars-and-provocateurs/tim-west-hacking-the-food-system/31652.article?utm%5Fsource=TM1&utm%5Fmedium=pp&utm%5Fcampaign=pp)) Here, relying on the experts’ help and based on the classic [Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie](http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18476/Original-NESTL%C3%89-TOLL-HOUSE-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/detail.aspx) recipe, OZY presents no-fail tips for baking _your_ perfect cookie. (You’re welcome.) **Ooey-gooey:** Add 2 cups more flour. **A nice tan:** Set the oven higher than 350 degrees (maybe 360). Caramelization, which gives cookies their nice brown tops, occurs above 356 degrees, says the Ted video. **Crispy with a soft center:** Use 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. **Chewy:** Substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour. ([MORE: Food Waste – There’s (Finally) An App For That](http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/pareup-an-app-to-reduce-food-waste/32711.article?utm%5Fsource=TM1&utm%5Fmedium=pp&utm%5Fcampaign=pp)) **Just like store-bought:** Trade the butter for shortening. Arias notes that this ups the texture but reduces some flavor; her suggestion is to use half butter and half shortening. **Thick (and less crispy):** Freeze the batter for 30 to 60 minutes before baking. This solidifies the butter, which will spread less while baking. **Cakey:** Use more baking soda because, according to Nyberg, it “releases carbon dioxide when heated, which makes cookies puff up.” **Butterscotch flavored:** Use 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (instead of the same amount of combined granulated sugar and light brown sugar). **Uniformity:** If looks count, add one ounce corn syrup and one ounce granulated sugar. **More. Just, more:** Chilling the dough for at least 24 hours before baking deepens all the flavors, Arias found. ([MORE: Table for One? This Question Will Never Terrify You Again.](http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/eenmaal-dining-dutch-solo-style/31175.article?utm%5Fsource=TM1&utm%5Fmedium=pp&utm%5Fcampaign=pp)) _Read next:_ [_Watch Sir Ian McKellen Teach Cookie Monster About Self-Control_](http://time.com/3638457/sir-ian-mckellen-cookie-monster-sesame-street/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ## Transcript Don't ever accuse the Girl Scouts of not being innovative. People reports one troop in Salem, New Hampshire is setting up shop in an unused warehouse. Girl Scouts will bring purchased cookies right to the customers' car windows. Somebody pinch us. We must be having a toffee- tastic dream. Thin mints delivered right to car windows? The troop is hoping this cookie drive through will help them reach their goal of selling 5, 000 boxes. Of cookies. So far they sold 1200. The drive thru idea falls in nicely with the Girl Scout Cookie Program, which the organization promotes as the premiere entrepreneurship opportunity for girls. In fact, Girl Scouts across the country sell around 200 million boxes of cookies every year. Bringing in about $ 700 million dollars in revenue. And a clever drive- thru isn't the only way Girl Scouts have stepped up their cookie selling game. The non- profit organization created a Girl Scout cookie finder app so people who don't know a Girl Scout. Personally but still want to buy cookies can get in touch with scouts in their area. And, for the first time ever, Girl Scouts is allowing troop members to sell cookies online through a site called Digital Cookie, which we think makes them smart cookies. 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