The Art and Science of Baking (Day 1) - It was a Blast!

#ArtofBaking

Today in the Art of Baking, we perfected many different chocolate chip cookie recipes. We learned the difference in taste between chilling and non-chilling the dough before baking. We also created many other different kinds of cookies, like Amish Ginger cookies, shortbread cookies, and Rugelach cookies! Today was a great day filled with many different kinds of cookies!

Cookies!

When we first entered the kitchen this morning, we had no idea where to begin. Not knowing our way around, it became hard to navigate our supplies. Each group member was allowed to choose a recipe that appealed to him or her. This allowed others to taste and try different types of cookies. Although cookies sound rather easy to make, we soon realized it is much more complicated. Reading the recipe before beginning to bake was a key component for being successful. At first, many of us jumped right into pouring ingredients into a bowl, instead of carefully reading what the directions stated. Throughout the day, we learned many knew tricks and skills. From reading recipes, to measuring ingredients, we slowly began to have more confidence in the kitchen. As the day progressed, we soon became comfortable enough around the kitchen to move through seven different recipes. The day was a great learning experience, consisting of stepping out of our comfort zone and getting messy!

We didn't know you could get tired from baking!

Today marks the first day we became mini Betty Crockers. Some of us with little to no experience dove in and made 3 types of chocolate chip cookies and 4 other types of cookies. We learned the difference between cold dough and room temperature dough, light brown sugar and dark brown sugar, and also the importance and separation of the wet and dry mixtures. The warmth in the kitchen and the temptation not to eat all of the cookies put us in a very tired mood. We ended the day in high baking spirits while watching Cupcake Wars. Our group looks forward to making more and more baked goods to make us a bit larger in size by the end of the week.