Dry Ingredients
Baking is like kitchen science! Each ingredient has a special job.
FLOUR: The main building block of cookies. Flour gives cookies their structure — without it, cookies would be flat puddles of butter and sugar. When you mix flour with liquid, it forms a stretchy web called gluten that holds everything together.
SUGAR: Makes cookies sweet! There are two types commonly used:
- White sugar: Makes cookies crispy
- Brown sugar: Makes cookies chewy and soft (it has molasses in it)
Many recipes use BOTH for the perfect texture.
BAKING SODA or BAKING POWDER: These are leavening agents — they make cookies puff up slightly. When baking soda meets something acidic (like brown sugar), it creates tiny gas bubbles that make cookies rise.
SALT: Just a tiny pinch! Salt does not make cookies salty. It enhances all the other flavors. Cookies without salt taste flat and boring.
Dry ingredients are measured with dry measuring cups. Scoop and level off the top with the flat edge of a butter knife.