How does your hand/stand mixer's speed effect the texture of your cookies?
I've read many recipes asking to mix sugar and butter at medium speed for about 5 minutes. Can I use slower speed and mix it a little bit longer? Will it make any different in the end?
One more thing, when mixing dry ingredients into wet ingredients, does it really make a difference if I use hand mixer instead of a spatula? In the videos, I've seen most of the bakers usually switching to spatula when they have to mix wet and dry ingredients together but some of them mix them in a stand mixer.
Best Answer
Speed would impact in so much as rapid speed helps incorporate air bubbles. These bubbles are important, since they capture and hold CO2 during the rising portion of baking (essentially I like to think about baking in 4 phases: mixing, heating and rising, setting, and cooling).
Usually you use a spatula vs a hand mixer when you A) are using an incredibly dense dough which could damage a mixer, or B) you are concerned about the formation of gluten. Gluten is essentially a good thing in breads, but a bad thing in cakes, and muffins.
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Quick Answer about "How does your hand/stand mixer's speed effect the texture of your cookies?"
In cookie recipes, a longer creaming time creates a cookie that is more cake-like. Less creaming creates less air, and the cookies will be flatter and chewier.What speed is best on a hand mixer?
Quality hand mixers offer at least 5 speeds\u2014here's a basic guide to selecting the right setting:- LOW for mixing/folding ingredients for muffins, quick breads, etc.
- LOW-MED for cream, butter, sugar, and most cookie doughs.
- MED for most packaged cake mixes.
- MED-HIGH for frosting and mashed potatoes.
Can you mix cookies with a hand mixer?
Cookie dough can be mixed by hand or with an electric mixer.How do you know if you overmix cookie dough?
If you mix (or roll out) cookie dough too much, you'll add excess air to the dough, causing it to rise and then fall flat in the oven. Overmixing the dough can also lead to excess gluten development, resulting in dense cookies.What type of mixer is best for cookie dough?
The 4 Best Hand Mixers For Cookie Dough- Black + Decker 5-Speed Hand Mixer. Amazon. $30. See On Amazon.
- Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Hand Mixer. Amazon. $24. See On Amazon.
- Breville Handy Mixer. Amazon. $130. See On Amazon.
- Dash Smart-Store Hand Mixer. Amazon. $20. See On Amazon.
Do You Need a Stand or Hand Mixer? (or both!) | Comparison and Review of Stand Mixer and Hand Mixer
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Answer 2
Mixing the sugar and butter is largely to aerate your dough. If you mix it at a slower speed, your cookies may have slightly less puff than they would have otherwise, but as long as the butter and sugar are thoroughly creamed, the difference should be minimal.
As for mixing the wet and dry, in theory doing it in your mixer could develop gluten and make your cookies tough. It also has a higher chance of splattering or causing a cloud of flour. That said, cookies have so much fat in them that gluten can't develop much, so as long as you don't overmix, you should be fine.
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