Chemical Engineer Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cardamommy sent this recipe to me a couple of years ago, thinking that it would be right up my chemistry alley. I set it aside for a later time. A couple of days ago she suggested that I guest blog this recipe.

At first glance, this recipe looks extremely complicated. Not to worry--I will provide a chemical translation at the end. The cookies are fantastically delicious and chewy with a subtle buttery flavor. My husband doesn't like nuts in his chocolate chip cookies, so I added extra chocolate (1.5 C chocolate chips and 1.5 C white chocolate chips). Too much chocolate you might say? No such thing. I added an extra quarter cup of flour because the cookies melted into thin puddles with chocolate chip islands when I baked a test batch. The recipe suggests that you cook them at 375 F until they are golden brown. I cooked them at 325 F for 10 minutes and they were perfect.

Chemical Engineer Chocolate Chip Cookies

The following recipe for chocolate chip cookies appeared in Chemical & Engineering News (June 19, 1995). It was attributed to Jeannene Aackerman.

Ingredients:
1.) 532.35 cm3 gluten  (2 1/4 C flour)
2.) 4.9 cm3 NaHCO3  (1 tsp baking soda)
3.) 4.9 cm3 refined halite  (1 tsp salt)
4.) 236.6 cm3 partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride  (2 sticks butter)
5.) 177.45 cm3 crystalline C12H22O11  (3/4 C White Sugar)
6.) 177.45 cm3 unrefined C12H22O11 (3/4 C packed brown sugar)
7.) 4.9 cm3 methyl ether of protocatechuic aldehyde (1 tsp vanilla extract)
8.) Two calcium carbonate-encapsulated avianalbumen-coated protein  (2 eggs)
9.) 473.2 cm3 theobroma cacao  (2 C chocolate chips)
10.) 236.6 cm3 de-encapsulated legume meats (sieve size #10)  (1/2 C chopped nuts)

Directions:
To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an overall heat transfer coefficient of about 100 Btu/F-ft2-hr, add ingredients one, two and three with constant agitation. In a second 2-L reactor vessel with a radial flow impeller operating at 100 rpm, add ingredients four, five, six, and seven until the mixture is homogenous. To reactor #2, add ingredient eight, followed by three equal volumes of the homogenous mixture in reactor #1. Additionally, add ingredient nine and ten slowly, with constant agitation.

Care must be taken at this point in the reaction to control any temperature rise that may be the result of an exothermic reaction. Using a screw extrude attached to a #4 nodulizer, place the mixture piece-meal on a 316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm). heat in a 460K oven for a period of time that is in agreement with Frank Johnston's first order rate expression (see JACOS, 21, 55), or until golden brown. Once the reaction is complete place the sheet on a 25C heat-transfer table, allowing the product to come to equilibrium.

Directions in Layman's Terms:
Cream the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.

Combine the two mixtures, add chocolate chips and nuts (if desired).

Drop by the teaspoonful on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 375 F until they are golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and place on cooling rack.

Bon Appetit!
-Chemist Cuisinier, PhD