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Always interested in offers/projects/new ideas. Eclectic experience in fields like: numerical computing; Python web; Java enterprise; functional languages; GPGPU; SQL databases; etc. Based in Santiago, Chile; telecommute worldwide. CV; email.

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Cookies

From: "andrew cooke" <andrew@...>

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:45:57 -0400 (CLT)

I was up at 5am and working by 6, so come 3pm I was wondering how to slow
down and decided to make some cookies...

So, this first iteration was not so great.  Still, not so bad either -
good enough for me to be feeling kind-of full and queesy at the moment :o)

I used:
150g fat (125g butter + some marge)
200g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
100g flour (wholewheat)
1/2tsp baking powder
250g oats
a bar of milk chocolate broken into chunks
combined those in order (top down) and cooked at about 170C.

The result was too runny (biscuits ran into each other), too buttery and
baking podery, and took too long to cook (didn't get very brown).  Also,
the choc chips were pointless.

So, for next time(!):
125g butter (maybe margarine?)
150g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
pile of cocoa
150g flour (see how it goes)
1/4 tsp bpowder
100g oats(?)

Also, I think I didn't beat the butter + sugar long enough?

Andrew

Cookies

From: Phillip Warner <locutus@...>

Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 00:04:37 -0700

Hi Andrew,

Was reading your blog, and wanted to point out something that I learned
about baking cookies.  Butter has a lower melting point, and as such
will melt too quickly during the baking process.  The ingredients will
not cook "together" or uniformly; the butter melting too quickly will
spread the cookie out too much.

Anyway, there's some information about this at wikipedia:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter

Search for 'melting point', specifically in the "Storage and cooking"
section.

AFAIK, margarine is more like vegetable shortening, which has a higher
melting point and will yield "puffier" (or whatever you call it)
cookies.

Anyway, good luck on your next batch!

Cheers,

Phil

Cookies

From: "andrew cooke" <andrew@...>

Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 15:57:50 -0400 (CLT)

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Cookies
From:    "Phillip Warner" <locutus@...>
Date:    Sat, August 2, 2008 3:04 am
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Andrew,

Was reading your blog, and wanted to point out something that I learned
about baking cookies.  Butter has a lower melting point, and as such
will melt too quickly during the baking process.  The ingredients will
not cook "together" or uniformly; the butter melting too quickly will
spread the cookie out too much.

Anyway, there's some information about this at wikipedia:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter

Search for 'melting point', specifically in the "Storage and cooking"
section.

AFAIK, margarine is more like vegetable shortening, which has a higher
melting point and will yield "puffier" (or whatever you call it)
cookies.

Anyway, good luck on your next batch!

Cheers,

Phil

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